The flax culture of Sinop is preserved in Turkey’s first flax museum.

The linen culture, passed down from generation to generation and reaching today in Sinop, is preserved and kept alive in the Linen Museum, which is the first of its kind in Turkey.

The Linen Museum, established in Sinop with the support of the North Anatolia Development Agency (KUZKA), carries the centuries-old linen culture into the present day. The museum, which recently began welcoming visitors, showcases the story of the linen plant, its seeds, the transformation of linen into yarn, linen weaving looms, and the production of linen textile products from the past to the present. With the support provided by the North Anatolia Development Agency, the project ‘Sinop Linen Museum,’ which is utilized by the Sinop Provincial Special Administration, restored the historic Kuş Üzümü Mansion, built in the 19th century and on the verge of collapse, and turned it into Turkey’s first linen museum for tourism. Thanks to the project, Sinop linen has been transformed into a new tourism element as a cultural value passed down from generation to generation.

The museum, which attracts the curiosity of local tourists, also draws significant interest from visitors coming from abroad. Particularly during the summer months, Sinop sees a high influx of visitors, and the Linen Museum is among the places that receive the most attention from tourists.

‘To understand the linen culture of Sinop, one must visit this museum’

Ilgün Görgün Kaya, who spends her summer holidays in Sinop, described how her childhood memories were refreshed when she visited the Linen Museum. Kaya stated that the processes related to linen are beautifully narrated in the museum, saying, “I regularly come to Sinop during the summer holidays. When I learned that the Linen Museum had opened during this visit, I wanted to explore it. Every floor of this historic mansion refreshed old memories. The story of linen has been beautifully exhibited and narrated here. I wish everyone coming to Sinop would visit this place. I am very happy that I came and saw it on my own behalf. I wish health to the hands and efforts of those who made it.”

“I went back to my childhood”

Hasibe Tutku, who came from Antalya to Sinop, expressed her admiration for the museum, stating, “We came to explore the Linen Museum because I was curious about it with my son. I am from Antalya, and things like the kirman and the spinning wheel are used in our region as well. It caught my interest; I can say that it took me back to my childhood. I was very happy to visit the museum. I wish health to the efforts of those who made it.”

The historic mansion on the verge of collapse was transformed into a museum

The ‘Sinop Linen Museum,’ located in the historic Kuş Üzümü Mansion on Tuzcular Street in Sinop, has been organized and furnished with the support of the North Anatolia Development Agency to reflect the historical and regional significance of linen. In the museum, where the linen culture of the city and region is exhibited, a gift shop consisting of linen products and an experience workshop where visitors can experience linen weaving will be made available in the coming period.