Kemaliye Ocak Ali Gürer Museum

Ali Gürer Museum is an ethnographic and folklore museum located in the village of Ocak, within the Kemaliye district of Erzincan.^【1】 The museum was established in 1994 by educator Mustafa Gürer to honor the memory of his son Ali Gürer, who died in a traffic accident at the age of 19. In 1996, the Ministry of Culture designated the museum as a “private museum” by including it in the national inventory.

The museum building was opened to the public in August 1994 alongside the 1st Hıdır Abdal Sultan Cultural Event.^【2】 This structure, built in the village of Ocak, holds the distinction of being the first museum established in a village in its region.^【3】 Following the death of its founder Mustafa Gürer in 1999, responsibility for the museum was assumed by his children, Şengül Şehriban Gürer Kakıcı and Cem Gürer.^【4】

The village of Ocak, where the museum is located, is 40 kilometers from Kemaliye district and 18 kilometers from Arapgir district of Malatya. The village was founded approximately 700 years ago by Hıdır Abdal Sultan, son of Karaca Ahmed Sultan. In the village, the Hıdır Abdal Sultan Türbesi and külliyesi, alongside a mosque and a cemevi, serve side by side.^【5】 The settlement also includes various social facilities such as a cultural center, library, guesthouse, and helicopter landing pad.^【6】

The artifacts displayed in the museum consist largely of donations from across Türkiye and the Eastern Anatolia Region, in addition to Mustafa Gürer’s personal collection. The number of items in the inventory varies between 1,300 and 4,000 pieces according to different sources.^【7】 The museum operates in a two-story independent building of 220 square meters and consists of two main sections: the Open-Air Section and the Indoor Section^{【8】【9】}

Open-Air Section: Exhibits include a bust of Atatürk, a statue of Hıdır Abdal Sultan, reliefs of Turkish notables, a threshing machine, a kağnı cart, and historical stones.^{【10】【11】}

Indoor Section (Ground Floor): The exhibition primarily features regional copper crafts, coins, and everyday household items.^{【12】【13】}

Indoor Section (Second Floor): This floor houses weapons, clothing, woven textiles, agricultural tools, imperial decrees, and genealogical trees. Among the museum’s oldest artifacts are seceres dated to the 1650s and imperial decrees from the 1700s. This floor also contains a library.^{【14】【15】}

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The museum and its village are monitored by 24-hour security cameras; the museum building is additionally protected by an alarmed security system against fire and theft. In accordance with regulations of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the museum is open to visitors six days a week, except on Mondays, from 08:00 to 17:00. The site receives an average of 30,000 visitors annually.