Muzeul de Istorie și Etnografie „Dumitru Cara-Ciobanu” din Beșalma
Gagauz museum in Beșalma
The first museum about the Gagauz, set up in 1966 by a village librarian
46.1731° N · 28.6485° E117 km from Chișinău
Photo: Gikü (talk), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The museum in Beșalma, a village some twenty kilometres south of Comrat, is the first museum entirely devoted to the history and culture of the Gagauz. The poet, librarian and photographer Dumitru Cara-Ciobanu opened it in 1966 and collected most of the exhibits himself. Wedding costumes, tools and a film about weddings from the 1960s show how this Turkic-speaking Orthodox people lived in southern Moldova.
What you see
The building itself is unremarkable; the collection is not. The history room, laid out in the 1990s, displays maps, books and documents on the origins of the Gagauz. A second room shows everyday life: a plough, a threshing machine, a loom, jugs and the suvak, water jugs made from gourds. Clothing from the late 19th century shows how people dressed in the village, together with old jewellery and accessories.
The wedding costumes are considered the museum's greatest treasure. They are linked to a film shot in the area between 1965 and 1967 that follows seven weddings, a rare record of customs that have changed since. A small screening room also shows other 20th-century documentaries about Gagauz villages. In front of the building stands a monument to the founder, made by his son, the sculptor Afanasii Cara-Ciobanu.
History
Dumitru Cara-Ciobanu was a poet, librarian, sculptor, folk artist, photographer and filmmaker. He started with a small collection of photos, documents and household objects and opened the museum on 16 September 1966. In 1969 it got its own building, and in 1974 it was entered in the official museum register of the Soviet Union. In 1982, after a visit by party officials, the museum was closed 'for repairs' and the founder was dismissed; some of the costumes were lost during that period.
Today the founder's family is still involved with the museum, and it is often his descendants who show visitors around. According to Adevărul, the museum receives a few thousand visitors a year from outside Gagauzia.
Tips for your visit
Beșalma is about 117 kilometres from Chișinău, roughly a two-hour drive, and a quarter of an hour from Comrat. Combine the museum with a visit to the capital of the autonomous region of Gagauzia and a meal of local dishes in the village. Opening times are not always fixed, so get in touch beforehand or ask a local guide or your host to call. If you speak Russian or come with a guide, you will get the most out of the family's stories; otherwise a translation app helps.
Highlights
- The first Gagauz museum (1966)
- Wedding costumes as its greatest treasure
- Film of seven weddings from 1965-1967
- Suvak jugs made from gourds
