A short time ago, the news reached us that Salim Mütlü had died at Alçitepe. He had a small 'bakkaliye' there, a grocery shop in the village center, but was especially famous for his 'kolleksiyon', his private WWI museum.

From Rumanian origine, he started collecting all kinds of battlefield finds some 50 years ago, and sacrificed a considerable part of his home to the display of his collection. When local farmers unearthed another piece of scrap iron, they always knew where they could drop off their find.

When the Gaba Tepe Museum was built by the State and needed historical material to be shown to visitors, it was Mr. Mütlü who sold part of his collection to be put on display there. In his own words : "At an incredibly low price. Fortunately, I kept the best pieces for myself."

A visit to the little museum was always an experience. Not only the entrance was free (if you bought a coke, or a couple of postcards, everything was fine), but also the never ending stream of stories about his material, local finds and most of all the famous visitors who had come to see his collection in the past. He was always so proud of the pictures taken at such occasions.