Cin Ali Müzesi

About Cin Ali Müzesi

Cin Ali Müzesi is a small private museum in Kavaklıdere dedicated to Cin Ali, the boy hero of the reading primers that teacher Rasim Kaygusuz wrote in Ankara from 1968, with which generations of children in Türkiye learned to read and write. The museum was created by the daughters of Rasim Kaygusuz, Suna (Nevin) and Selma (Nesrin), together with the Cin Ali Eğitim ve Kültür Vakfı and a children and education research library, and it opened in November 2019 in a yellow building on Bülten Sokak. Its twelve exhibition areas tell the real family story behind the characters in the books, show the Braille edition of Cin Ali, follow the journey of the books that began at the Bahçelievler post office, and let visitors play with the Oyunla Okuma Öğretimi (learning to read through play) materials devised by Kaygusuz. Visitors can put on the black school smock, white collar and red ribbon of a Turkish primary pupil and see the reading cards, a blackboard and first editions of the books. The Ministry of Education also lists a classroom display, a letter-writing corner, a post office section, a wall of letters to Cin Ali and VR films. Filli Bahçe, the rest area and small garden of the museum, serves tea, coffee and home-made pastries. Its name recalls Filli Park in Bahçelievler, which inspired the eighth book in the series. A shop sells Cin Ali story books, reading-game materials and gifts. The museum opens every day except Monday from 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:30, and closes on 1 January and the first day of religious holidays. Entry is paid, with reduced tickets for students, teachers and visitors over 65 and free entry for children under five; school groups book by phone. There is no car park. On foot, turn off Tunalı Hilmi Caddesi into Bülten Sokak and walk about five minutes.