Niğde Museum

Niğde's museum story began in the Second World War, when the Akmedrese was used as a store for Istanbul's archaeological museums. The Akmedrese opened as Niğde Museum in 1957, the collection moved to a new building in 1977, and a fresh display reopened in 2001. Today six halls follow the region's story in chronological order, from the Palaeolithic to recent centuries.

The first hall is devoted to prehistory. Obsidian tools from the Kaletepe workshop and from Pınarbaşı, Köşk and Tepecik mounds show how volcanic glass from this part of Anatolia became a valued raw material. Köşk Höyük also provides grave finds, god and goddess figurines, an anthropomorphic vase and a full-scale reconstruction of a Chalcolithic house.

The second hall moves into the Bronze Age. Finds from the mining village at Göltepe sit beside the entrance of the ancient Kestel tin mine, Hoker-style burials with their grave goods, and objects from Ulukışla. The palace finds from Acemhöyük belong to the age of the Assyrian trade colonies, when merchants from Mesopotamia did business across central Anatolia. Later halls carry the story forward.