Turkpusat Traditional War Centers Museum

Türkpusat Traditional Warfare Equipment Museum is a thematic specialized museum dedicated to introducing the traditional warfare equipment (pusatlar) used by the Turks throughout history, preserving this cultural heritage, and transmitting it to future generations.

While embracing contemporary museum practices, the museum offers visitors the opportunity to interact with historical artifacts, experience workshop activities, and engage in hands-on learning through its “touchable museum” principle. Beyond viewing collections related to Turkish warfare and sports history, visitors can also participate in workshops to learn the production processes of arrows, bows, and zihgirs.

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The museum was established on 15 June 2019 in the Altındağ district of Ankara. Its founder is Muhiddin Uyanık, officially recognized as a master of traditional Turkish archery and a cultural heritage bearer. The museum was founded to promote traditional Turkish martial arts and crafts. Muhiddin Uyanık is also the founder of Türkpusat, the first private traditional archery shop and training center opened in Türkiye after the Republic era. The initiative to transform Türkpusat into a museum was launched with the aim of revealing the philosophical and historical depth of Turkish archery alongside its artisanal dimensions, and the Türkpusat Traditional Warfare Equipment Museum officially opened in 2019.

The museum displays various weapons and their manufacturing processes from different historical periods, with traditional Turkish archery as the primary focus. Key items in the collection include:

• Arrowheads (452 pieces),
• Zihgirs (18 pieces),
• Spearheads (10 pieces),
• Swords: Types such as yatağan, koltukaltı sallama, şimşir, and gaddare,
• Other weapons: Dagger, axe, teber, topuz, gürz, shield, and siper,
• Armor, helmets, and military attire (kaftan, börk),
• Ethnographic objects: Sadak, tirkeş, ağız kopuzu, puta.

^{Arrowheads (}Türkpusat Museum Website⁾

^{Swords (}Türkpusat Museum Website⁾

^{Armor, Shield, Helmet (}Türkpusat Museum Website⁾

Among the standout pieces is a sword from the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II, made of Damascus steel. The museum’s collection is unique, particularly in the diversity and chronological breadth of its arrowheads. Its artifacts span from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods to the Ottoman era, making it archaeologically and culturally significant.

^{Military Equipment and Gear (}Türkpusat Museum Website⁾

Beyond being an exhibition space, the museum functions as a center for active, pedagogical, and cultural activities. Services offered include:

• 45-minute guided presentations led by expert curators,
• Introductory training in traditional archery,
• Workshops: Production of bows, arrows, zihgirs, armor, tirkeş, and other items,
• Seminars, conferences, and cultural tours,
• Traditional music performances and archery demonstrations.

Within the museum premises, the Kemankeşan Kahvesi aims to enhance the cultural experience by offering traditional beverages such as şerbet and kımız, alongside third-wave coffee options.

^{Türkpusat Workshop (}Türkpusat Museum Website⁾

The Türkpusat Museum embraces contemporary museum practices and promotes an interactive, pedagogical, and interdisciplinary approach to exhibition design in line with universal museum principles. Under this framework, the “touchable museum” approach is applied, allowing visitors to handle both original and replica artifacts.

The museum emphasizes that the art of warfare is not merely utilitarian but forms a holistic system intertwined with philosophy, aesthetics, literature, and craftsmanship.

The museum is located in the historic Kale Mahallesi neighborhood of Ankara, directly next to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. Opening hours and contact details are as follows:

Address: Kale Mahallesi, Gözcü Sokak No: 9, Altındağ / ANKARA

Phone: +90 312 311 12 35

Website: www.turkpusat.com.tr

Opening Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 09.00 – 18.00

Closed: Monday