Ordu Ethnographical Museum in Turkey

Ordu Museum occupies Paşaoğlu Mansion in the Selimiye neighborhood of Altınordu. The building was commissioned by Paşaoğlu Hüseyin Efendi in 1896 and now combines displays of ethnographic and archaeological objects with rooms arranged to represent domestic life in a nineteenth-century Ordu mansion.

Paşaoğlu Mansion

The mansion and its garden cover about 625 square meters. Stone used in its construction came from Ünye, while its timber was brought from Romania. Official cultural records state that a craftsman brought from Istanbul oversaw the construction.

The building has three levels including the ground floor. Its exterior is distinguished by worked stone elements around the windows, columns at the corners, decorative consoles and carved stone railings along parts of the garden wall, stairs, balcony and roofline.

The garden contains a fountain pool and an original stone hearth that has been protected beneath a wooden covering. Inside, wood is a prominent material on the upper floors and ceilings. The upper hall has painted decoration on its wooden ceiling, including plant motifs in a diamond-shaped central composition and landscape scenes inside corner medallions. Patterned tiles were also used in the bathroom.

Conversion Into a Museum

The Ministry of Culture acquired Paşaoğlu Mansion in 1982. Restoration began after the acquisition, and the repair and exhibition work was completed in 1987. The building then opened as Paşaoğlu Mansion and Ethnography Museum.

The ground floor is used for museum administration. The first floor contains ethnographic and archaeological displays, while the second floor is arranged to show the character of a local nineteenth-century residence.

Ethnographic Displays and Period Rooms

The ethnographic section includes objects connected with clothing and everyday material culture, including jewelry, weapons, and traditional women’s and men’s garments.

Upstairs, the interpretation shifts from individual objects to domestic space. Rooms are arranged as a sofa or central hall, a grandmother’s room, an everyday sitting room, a guest room, a bedroom and storage areas. Their placement within the mansion gives visitors a clearer sense of how the building itself functioned as a residence.

Archaeological Objects

The museum also holds archaeological pieces associated with the ancient history of the region. The Ministry’s museum information identifies several objects dating to the 1st century BC and the Hellenistic period.

Apollo Statuette

An Apollo statuette depicts the deity with a quiver on his back. It is dated to the 1st century BC.

Rhyton Cult Vessel

A Hellenistic rhyton in the collection combines animal and human figures. Its composition includes a mountain sheep, a goat and a seated male figure playing a kithara.

Onyx Female Head

A small female head carved from onyx uses the natural coloration of the stone as part of the image. The figure appears in profile, and the pale veins of the material help define the head covering.

Child Dionysus

The museum’s Hellenistic material also includes a representation of the child Dionysus, shown with an ivy wreath. Another object identified by the Ministry is a statue of Dionysus Mithraphoros.

Visiting Ordu Museum

The museum stands on Taşocak Caddesi in Selimiye Mahallesi, on the road toward Boztepe in central Altınordu. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism currently lists the museum as open daily from 08:00 to 17:00, with the box office closing at 16:30, and lists admission as free.

Because opening arrangements can change, visitors planning a trip well in advance can confirm current information through the official Ministry museum page or Ordu Museum Directorate before traveling.