Kırşehir Museum
Kırşehir Museum is located in Kırşehir Cultural Center. The museum has a 200 m² exhibition hall and a 30 m² art storage. There are about 10,000 works in the museum, archaeological and ethnographic. In the archeology section of Kırşehir Museum, terracotta pots brought from Kırşehir surroundings, sculptures from the Roman and Byzantine periods, funerary steles and small objects are exhibited. In the ethnographic section of the Kırşehir Museum, there are documents of handicrafts, examples of handicrafts, Kırşehir House, and examples of various household items used in the region. New Archeology Museum construction project has been initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The new Archeology Museum building will be built on an area of 15,000 m² in Ağbayır region. With the completion of the construction of the New Archeology Museum, many works in the museum storage will meet with visitors.
Kaman Kalehöyük Archaeological Museum
Kalehöyük is located 3 km east of Kaman district of Kırşehir province, just on the edge of Kaman Kırşehir highway. The mound is a typical Anatolian mound with a diameter of 280 m and a height of 16 m. Four main floors have been identified so far in the mound. Kaman Kalehöyük excavations were started by Prince Takahito Mikasa, President of the Middle East Cultural Center of Japan and Honorary President of the Kaman Kalehöyük Excavation Committee, on May 31, 1986. Dr. Excavation under the direction of Dr. Sachihiro Omura is still ongoing. Excavations here shed light on the history of the earliest settlement of Kırşehir. The earliest settlement is to be dated back to the early Bronze Age.
Excavation in Kalehöyük is maintained within a disciplined program in terms of promotion, scientific evaluation, protection as well as display of our cultural assets. The impact of it on the socio-economic structure of the Kaman district and Çağırkan town, and the participation of the local people in it, is an appreciable event. Given the name of the Prince of Japan to a street in Kaman, embracing the excavation team of the local people and excavation studies lasting for many years; moreover, the knowledge, the respect and professionalism of the workers who excavated there, are pretty remarkable. With professionally conducted excavations, the archeology institute, museum, storage and excavation house will serve as a model for all other groups engaged in archaeological excavations in Anatolia.
The notes and meeting minutes between the Government of the Turkish Republic and the Government of Japan, signed in Kaman on September 30, 2005 regarding the construction of the Kaman Kalehöyük Archeology Museum through grant were approved by Law No 5509 on date 25/05/2006, and published in the Official Gazette No 26187, on 03/06/2006. The institute is located next to the Kalehöyük excavation house in the town Çağırkan of Kaman District. In the Institute, there are 3 departments: Research Department, Storage Department and Lodging Department. Research Department includes various laboratories, study rooms, library, conference hall, and photography center for excavations and other researches. The purpose of this institute is conducting archaeological excavations and surface investigations, examining information and artifacts obtained from excavations and investigations and publishing them . In addition, it is one of the most important goals of the Institute to convey information about the history of Anatolia to the local people and make them protect their historical heritage.
Mucur Underground City
During the Roman period, Christianity spread rapidly in the 2nd century A.D., and there was a great struggle taking place between pagans and Christians. Many underground cities which belongs to 3rd and 4th centuries emerged in the Cappadocia region in order to protect Christians from external and physical attacks, to shelter them and to provide conditions for worship. The most important of these underground cities, which are also within the borders of Kırşehir; Mucur Underground City, Kepez Underground City and Dulkadirli Underground City. Mucur Underground City is located in Merkez Solaklı Quarter of the Mucur district of the Kırşehir Province. The underground city, carved into soft rocks, is 7-8 m deep in the ground. It is estimated that it extends to the vicinity of Kırşehir Aşık Paşa Tomb. The underground city quite big with its rooms, halls and corridors that have been cleaned to date, and it is remarkable. In the underground city, which has many rooms, there are corridors that were built to move from one place to another, and that people can move around only be bending down; stables which are mostly as large as small animals can fit and places of worship; cover stones, large and circular shaped rocks, which are estimated to be made in order to divide the corridors and to close the entrance of the rooms; and ventilation chimneys opening above the ground. The landscaping work of Mucur Underground City was renewed in 2015, its surveying has been completed and it is open to visitors.
Kepez Underground City
It is located in Kepez Village, which is subordinate to Mucur town of the Kırşehir Province. It is 14 km away from Kayseri - Ankara highway and 10 km away from Kırşehir - Aksaray highway. Kepez Underground City, which is one of the neatest underground cities of the Cappadocia region, has become the center of interests of visitors with its architecture and bicoloured soil structure. It consists of ternate groups of halls in rectangular form, and galleries and tunnels connecting these halls. With the support of Kırşehir Governorship, excavation and cleaning work was carried out in the underground city in 2002; as a result of this work, a large part of the underground city was unearthed and cleaned. In addition, the lighting system and direction signs were placed. In 2015, surveying was completed, a project including entrance units was prepared and approved by Nevşehir Regional Board for Protection of Cultural Heritage.
Dulkadirli Underground City
The entrance of the underground city, located 50 km north of the city center, starts with a 22 m long vault tunnel and opens to a 30x50 m long open-top courtyard. On the east, west and north facades of the courtyard, there are 5 halls and 8 rooms built in rock carving type. The lower floor can only be reached from room 5 by a fan-shaped staircase. There is also a water well in this room. There are two masses of stones estimated to be millstones in the gallery section, but these stone masses are also thought to have been used to close round arch doors. There is another small millstone in the well in the room at the end of the gallery. There is also a small place of worship in the same room, decorated with niches engraved on rock and presumably used by Christians. At the 130 m east of the underground city, as a continuation of it, there is another residence with two courtyards. The underground city, which resembles the caravansaries belonging to the Seljuk period in terms of its architectural structure and plan, differs from other underground cities with its plan features. In 2015, surveying of Dulkadirli Underground City was completed. It was made available to visitors with the cleaning done.
Büklükale Archaeological Excavation
Büklükale Archaeological Settlement is located in Karakeçili town of Karakeçili District of Kırıkkale Province, and at approximately 50th km of Kaman-Bala-Ankara highway. The city, which belongs to the 2nd Millennium B.C., i.e. the Age of the Hittite and Assyrian Trade Colonies, is located on the road in question, in the area just north of the bridge on the Kızılırmak River. It consists of a lower city with a width of 500x600 m and on the east side, a mound with a height of 30 m and a width of 300x200 m. Büklükale excavations are carried out on behalf of the Japanese-Anatolian Archeology Institute, under the chairmanship of Kırşehir Ahi Evran University Faculty Member Assist. Prof. Dr. Kimiyoshi MATSUMURA. In the excavations carried out since 2009, culture layers dating back to the Ottoman Period, Iron Age and Late, Middle and Early Bronze Ages were determined. The artifacts uncovered in the excavations are exhibited in the Kalehöyük Archeology Museum.
Yassıhöyük Archaeological Excavation
Yassıhöyük Archaeological Settlement is located in the Çayağazı town of Kırşehir Province, at the 20th km of the Kaman-Kırşehir highway and just north of the State Highway No 260. It is a flat and oval mound measuring a width of 500 m in the north-south direction, 600 m in the east-west direction and a height of 13 m. During the Yassıhöyük Archaeological Excavations, under the direction of Dr. Masako OMURA, on behalf of the Japanese Anatolian Archeology Institute, cultural floors dating back to the Iron and Bronze Ages have been uncovered so far. The artifacts uncovered during the Yassıhöyük excavations are exhibited in the Kalehöyük Archeology Museum.
Central Kalehöyük Archaeological Excavation
It is located in the Kuşdilli Central Quarter of our province. It is known as "Kale (Castle)" among the people. On the mound, there is a school built during the Republic period and the Alaeddin Mosque belonging to the Seljuk period . Due to the existence of the Kılıçözü streamlet flowing right at the edge and closure to fertile soil, Kalehöyük has been settled in every period of history. On the foots of the mound, there are shops that promote the Kırşehir trade. These shops, called Long Bazaar, have been keeping the Kırşehir trade alive for centuries. Excavations were started in 2009 on 17 m height Kalehöyük, under the presidency of Kırşehir Museum, and scientific consultancy of Ahi Evran University. Ottoman, Seljuk, Byzantine, Roman and Hellenistic layers were found in excavations carried out so far. A depth of 7 meters was reached on the mound. During the studies, terracotta pots, pitos, ornaments, grinding stones, weights and loom weights and pendants (necklace) were found.
Büyükteflek Archaeological Excavation
Büyükteflek Settlement Area is located 2 km south of Büyükteflek village in the Çiçekdağı district of Kırşehir province, and is 7 km away from Çiçekdağı district and 71 km from the center of Kırşehir. The settlement can be reached by following the path through the streamlet or land road. Excavations were carried out by the Kırşehir Museum Directorate between 2012 and 2014. During the excavations, the Roman public bath structure dating back to the 2nd century A.D. was uncovered. Roman baths are one of the most magnificent buildings of the city due to the fact that many social activities were carried out in it. These structures include units such as sports halls (palestra), beauty salons, saunas, conference halls, and library. The Roman bath in Büyükteflek village has survived to the present day. During the excavations, the sections of the bath; the gym (palestra), hypocaust (külhan), hot-room (caldarium), warm-room (tepidarium) and cold-room (frigidarium) were unearthed. With the Christianity in the 4th and 5th centuries A.D., the bathhouses lost their importance and started to be used for different purposes. The pool part of the bathhouse was merged with different places and turned into a small church. The gym (palestra) part was used as a cemetery. During the excavations, pitos, kettles, scent bottles, oil lamps and terracotta pots were found. In addition, a large amount of different sized shot put and disk, which are the first examples of disc sport and shot put were found.
Kurutlu Excavation
With the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, under the presidency of Kalehöyük Archeology Museum Directorate and under the scientific chairmanship of Ahi Evran University Anthropology Deparment Faculty Member Assoc. Prof. Dr. A. Cem ERKMAN, the excavations began in 2011 with surveys in Kaman District, Savcılı Kurutlu Village, Lodalı Hill (fossil locality). It turned into a rescue excavation in 2014 and continues in 2015 as the Council of Ministers Excavation under the chairmanship of Assist. Prof. Dr. A. Cem ERKMAN. Assist. Prof. Dr. During the Surveys conducted by Assist. Prof. Dr. A. Cem ERKMAN in the region, significant density of Fossil Locality was detected on the shores of Hirfanlı Dam Lake (around Lodalı Hill), excavations were carried out to obtain information about recovery of fossil locality in the region and determination of vertebrate fossil beds, and the situation, fauna and life characteristics of the region in the Neogene Period. At the end of the Kurutlu Fossil Locality Recovery Excavation works; fossil finds belonging to Rhinocerotidae, Equidea, Cavicornia, Giraffidae, Suidae, Primates and Elephant specimens were recovered. Scientific studies on the fossils uncovered are still ongoing, and excavations are planned to continue in the coming years.
