Record-breaking year for Health Museum in Edirne
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Anatolia News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 17, 2009 00:00
EDİRNE - The Health Museum in the northwestern city of Edirne had a record number of visitors last year. The number of people who showed interest in the museum was 126,000.
Edirne is a city of history, said Trakya University, or TU, Rector Enver Duran. He said the city’s Health Museum, where people with psychological problems had been treated with music and the sound of water in Ottoman times, is paid much interest by tourists.
He said they were planning to expand the museum complex. "There are some closed parts of this health complex and we plan to open them to visitors. There is a food section where needy people used to eat. When we finish its restoration, we will use this place for the same goal. In this way, tourists will be introduced to Ottoman food and needy people will eat here."
Duran said the Council of Europe deemed the Health Museum worthy of the "European Museum Award" in 2004 and it also received "The Best Presentation Award" in 2007 during the meeting of Europe’s oldest museums.
"We have made our name heard internationally thanks to these awards. The museum has become a significant brand at home and abroad. Visitors are dazzled by such an advanced health system in the Ottoman. The number of visitors has been increasing every year. We should be prepared for the European Union membership by preserving our own culture" Duran said.
Among the visitors to the museum, Duran said Bulgarian and Greek tourists showed the greatest interest. "This year 126,000 people, 4,020 out of whom were foreigners, visited the museum. When we open the other sections, it will be a common cultural heritage of the Balkans. It is important is to design the museum according to the historical conditions."
History of Health Museum
The Darüşşifa buildings were built as a medical center by the Ottomans in 1488 by the order of the eighth Ottoman Sultan, Bayezid II, and have a significant role in the history of medicine. In these buildings patients were treated with music and the sound of water as well as the foremost medicine of the time, but the structures were left to their fate in 1900s.
Trakya University took over these buildings in 1984 and restored them. Later on, they served for some departments of the university. On April 23, 1997, after these departments moved to new buildings, these buildings turned into a museum complex with the approval of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. With contributions from the Association for the Rehabilitation of Mental Problems, the medical section of the museum was organized as the History of Psychiatry Department in June 2000. Designed by art director Türkan Kafadar, this part of the museum received great attention for exhibits of the uniforms and accessories of the time.
He said they were planning to expand the museum complex. "There are some closed parts of this health complex and we plan to open them to visitors. There is a food section where needy people used to eat. When we finish its restoration, we will use this place for the same goal. In this way, tourists will be introduced to Ottoman food and needy people will eat here."
Duran said the Council of Europe deemed the Health Museum worthy of the "European Museum Award" in 2004 and it also received "The Best Presentation Award" in 2007 during the meeting of Europe’s oldest museums.
"We have made our name heard internationally thanks to these awards. The museum has become a significant brand at home and abroad. Visitors are dazzled by such an advanced health system in the Ottoman. The number of visitors has been increasing every year. We should be prepared for the European Union membership by preserving our own culture" Duran said.
Among the visitors to the museum, Duran said Bulgarian and Greek tourists showed the greatest interest. "This year 126,000 people, 4,020 out of whom were foreigners, visited the museum. When we open the other sections, it will be a common cultural heritage of the Balkans. It is important is to design the museum according to the historical conditions."
History of Health Museum
The Darüşşifa buildings were built as a medical center by the Ottomans in 1488 by the order of the eighth Ottoman Sultan, Bayezid II, and have a significant role in the history of medicine. In these buildings patients were treated with music and the sound of water as well as the foremost medicine of the time, but the structures were left to their fate in 1900s.
Trakya University took over these buildings in 1984 and restored them. Later on, they served for some departments of the university. On April 23, 1997, after these departments moved to new buildings, these buildings turned into a museum complex with the approval of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. With contributions from the Association for the Rehabilitation of Mental Problems, the medical section of the museum was organized as the History of Psychiatry Department in June 2000. Designed by art director Türkan Kafadar, this part of the museum received great attention for exhibits of the uniforms and accessories of the time.