OLIVE BRANCH / Tuğba Ersoy
The Olive Oil and Soap Museum in Kahramanmaraş was established to preserve and revive the region’s cultural and agricultural heritage. The concept centers on olive oil and soap, not just as products but as symbols with deep historical, economic, and social meaning. The olive tree’s abundance and soap’s purity represent values like sustainability, health, and natural living. Kahramanmaraş’s rich aromatic flora and strong local production potential further enhance the significance of this project.
The museum’s upper floor features exhibits on the history and production of olive oil and soap. It also includes a conference hall where producers and experts share knowledge, offering insight into industry practices and raising awareness. A small café and a souvenir/seedling shop enrich the visitor experience, while the olive oil quality control laboratory and research center support professional and sectoral development. Descending to the lower level, visitors encounter the “scent theater,” an immersive space that highlights the sensory experience of olive oil and soap through smell. Exiting the theater, visitors enter a lively square. Here, a café and restaurant serve traditional dishes prepared with olive oil. Culinary workshops allow guests to make and taste olive oil appetizers under the guidance of chefs, connecting taste with tradition. After being observed on an olive branch in the workshops, it reappears in different forms. In this workshop area, visitors produce natural olive oil soaps and experience olives in different dimensions by designing jewelry from olive branches.
More than just a museum, this space is a cultural and experiential hub. It combines learning, creativity, and enjoyment, ensuring that local values are not only preserved but passed on in a sustainable and engaging way.
