Ankara Rahmi M. Koç Museum, a museum of industry run under the auspices of the Rahmi M. Koç Museology and Culture Foundation. The museum first opened to the public in 2005, situated opposite the main entrance to Ankara Castle in a historical caravansary called Çengelhan. Another caravansary in the same area, Safranhan, was bought in 2012 and opened as a second museum building in 2016 after its restoration. Today the museum covers an area of 7,000 square meters. This is the second museum of industry to open under the auspices of the Rahmi M. Koç Museology and Culture Foundation. The first was the Rahmi M. Koç Museum (see Istanbul Rahmi M. Koç Museum) in the Golden Horn area of Istanbul, which opened in 1994.
Rented from the Ankara Regional Directorate of Foundations, the museum at Çengelhan collects and exhibits items from across the globe relating to all eras of industry and engineering, supporting their protection and conservation, as well as further research. As part of the restoration work during the years 2003 and 2005, the structure was reinforced while remaining faithful to the original architectural characteristics; as part of this work, the courtyard was conserved with a glass roof.
The museum’s collections and resources aim to be both interesting and informative to the public, increase museum attendance across Turkey, and support the research of industrial history. Most of the works are compiled from the personal collection of Rahmi M. Koç. The museum’s collections are exhibited under the categories: Ankara and Atatürk, Road Transportation, Rail Transportation, Maritime, Aviation, Craftsman Street, Machinery, Scientific Instruments, Communication, Toys, Agriculture, Medicine and Pharmacy, and Everyday Life.
The shop where
Vehbi Koç, founder of Koç Holding, first went into business has been set up in Çengelhan’s courtyard as a special focal point called the “Vehbi Koç Shop”. Other special points of interest in the museum are the Workshop of Uncle Ismail, Model Machinery Workshop and Ali Rıza Pharmacy. “Weekend Workshops” and the “Elementary School Education Project” are educational programs devised and provided to schools by the museum.