Kars Cheese Museum preserves regional dairy traditions

The Kars Cheese Museum, located within the historic Süvari Tabyası in Kars, Turkey, continues to preserve and promote the region's rich dairy traditions. Established in March 2022 as Turkey's first thematic cheese museum, the facility was created through the ‘Future is in Tourism’ project, a collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the United Nations Development Programme, and Anadolu Efes.

Spanning 1,100 square meters, the museum details the production processes of local varieties such as Gruyère, Çeçil, and Kaşar. The exhibits include sections on the endemic flora consumed by livestock, traditional milk containers, and the transformation of highland milk into cheese. The museum also features interactive elements, a video room, and representations of local architecture and the Kars railway station.

According to Museum Director Yeşim Koç, the site has seen growing interest from both domestic and international tourists. In the first seven months of 2026, the museum welcomed approximately 72,000 visitors, with expectations to exceed 120,000 visitors by the end of the year.