Amasra Museum

Overview

The Amasra Museum tells the long story of Amasra, an old harbor town on the Turkish Black Sea. Its halls show finds from Roman, Byzantine, Genoese and Ottoman times. Above all, they hold an armored torso of Emperor Hadrian, a great snake statue and five Genoese coats of arms. The museum fills a stone building begun in 1884 as a naval school.

Where the Amasra Museum stands

The museum lies in the Kum quarter of Amasra, in Bartın province. From its door, the castle walls are a few minutes' walk away. For the town itself, its castle, the old bridge to Boztepe island and its harbor food, start with our Amasra guide.

Quick facts

• Good for: Roman sculpture, Genoese heraldry, local costume, an hour indoors
• Best combined with: the castle quarter of Amasra, Safranbolu

History of the Amasra Museum

From naval school to museum

Because ancient finds kept turning up in and around Amasra, the town needed a museum. So from 1955, the town collected archaeological and ethnographic pieces and first showed them in the town hall.

The present building has its own story. In 1884, the governor of Bolu, İsmail Kemal, began it as a naval school. However, only one of its two planned floors was finished, and the building was never completed as a school. In 1976, the Ministry of Culture restored it, and in 1982 it opened as a museum. Today it is a registered historic building. Later, after restoration works began in 2014, the museum reopened with its original character kept.

What to See in the Amasra Museum

The armored torso of Hadrian

The sculpture hall holds the armored torso of Emperor Hadrian, who ruled from 117 to 138.

Glykon, the snake god

Next, look for the large statue of a snake. It stands for Glykon, a cult that Alexander of Abonuteichos founded at Ionopolis, today's İnebolu on the same coast. The cult flourished in the age of the Five Good Emperors, from Nerva to Marcus Aurelius.

Nike on a four-horse chariot

A carved fragment from a stele or a sarcophagus shows Nike, goddess of victory, on a four-horse chariot. That part dates from the 1st century AD. Later, after AD 212, a carver added a funeral banquet scene beside it, so the stone served twice. Its inscription names Aurelius Aleksandros, son of Ariston.

Genoese coats of arms

In the corridor hang five Genoese coats of arms. Their symbols belong to the noble families that ran Amasra for Genoa and to officials sent from Galata. Others show the Duchy of Milan and the Kingdom of France, which at times held power over Genoa. After your visit, you can find nine more of them still in place on the castle walls.

Tomb steles and the garden

The stone halls hold tomb steles carved with figures and inscriptions. One stele records Demetrios, son of Agathos, who lived 67 years, and his wife Aeliane, who lived 76. It dates from AD 184. Besides these, a separate bust hall holds eight busts, most from the Roman imperial period, among them the Athenian orator Demosthenes.

Outside, the garden is full of sarcophagi, tombstones, altars, statues and carved marble. Also, large storage jars, amphorae, and Ottoman cannons and anchors stand among them.

The ethnographic halls

The ethnographic rooms turn to Ottoman Amasra. Here, models wear clothes unique to the town, beside silver ornaments, carpets, purses and old wall clocks. Finally, look for a map of the Mediterranean from 1852, printed at the Ottoman palace press.

Visiting the Amasra Museum

Opening days at the Amasra Museum

The museum is closed on Mondays. It keeps longer hours in summer, from April to October, than in winter. Entry is by ticket, and the building has an elevator. We arrange your entry to the Amasra Museum and a walk through the castle quarter after.

Before you go

On our day trip from Safranbolu, the museum comes after a fish lunch by the harbor. In the morning, you walk through the castle first, where nine more coats of arms remain on the walls. If you stay longer in the region, our Safranbolu tour fills another day with the Ottoman mansions of Safranbolu.

Updated: October 26, 2026.

Seeing the Amasra Museum with Us

Would you like to meet Hadrian on the Black Sea? Our Amasra day trip from Safranbolu takes you through the castle in the morning. After lunch by the harbor, your guide shows you the Amasra Museum. Hadrian waits after lunch by the harbor; let us know the day you are in Safranbolu.