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Antalya Archaeological Museum
Antalya Archaeological Museum, Antalya, Turkey
The Antalya Archaeological Museum is located on the west side of the city center, on Konyaalti Street, next to the seafront. It is one of the largest archaeological museums in Turkey and the main place to explore the ancient heritage of the Mediterranean.
The museum was founded in 1919 at the initiative of Suleyman Fikri Bey, an educator and public figure. During the Italian occupation he began collecting and preserving finds to prevent their removal. The first city museum saved many of the region's relics, and over time the collection moved into the modern building.
Today the holdings include more than 30,000 items, of which about one sixth - around 5,000 objects - are on display. The permanent exhibition covers roughly 7,000 sq. m and is arranged in 13 themed halls, complemented by an open-air area.
The collection traces the region's development from prehistoric cultures to the Ottoman era. It includes finds from Karain Cave, materials on ancient Pamphylia and Lycia, sculptures of gods and emperors from Perge, marble sarcophagi, mosaics, inscriptions, pottery, jewelry and coins. Labels for the main objects are provided in Turkish and English.
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The Antalya Archaeological Museum is located on the west side of the city center, on Konyaalti Street, next to the seafront. It is one of the largest archaeological museums in Turkey and the main place to explore the ancient heritage of the Mediterranean.
The museum was founded in 1919 at the initiative of Suleyman Fikri Bey, an educator and public figure. During the Italian occupation he began collecting and preserving finds to prevent their removal. The first city museum saved many of the region's relics, and over time the collection moved into the modern building.
Today the holdings include more than 30,000 items, of which about one sixth - around 5,000 objects - are on display. The permanent exhibition covers roughly 7,000 sq. m and is arranged in 13 themed halls, complemented by an open-air area.
The collection traces the region's development from prehistoric cultures to the Ottoman era. It includes finds from Karain Cave, materials on ancient Pamphylia and Lycia, sculptures of gods and emperors from Perge, marble sarcophagi, mosaics, inscriptions, pottery, jewelry and coins. Labels for the main objects are provided in Turkish and English.
The exhibition reveals the region's history from prehistoric times to the Ottoman era.
What to see in the museum: statues from Perge and the sarcophagus hall
In 1988 the museum received a special European Museum of the Year award. The halls of gods and emperors hold outstanding Roman statues from Perge - portraits of rulers and depictions of Zeus, Aphrodite, Hermes and Artemis. A special place is given to the sculpture "Weary Heracles", the upper part of which was returned to Turkey in 2011 and joined with the lower fragment found in Perge. Nearby are large marble sarcophagi with reliefs on themes of Dionysus and the labors of Heracles.
Prehistoric archaeology is revealed through finds from Karain Cave - stone tools, animal bones and early ornaments. The picture is completed by floor mosaics from cities of Pamphylia, epigraphic monuments and a numismatics cabinet with coins from Side, Perge, Aspendos, Phaselis and other cities of Lycia and Pamphylia.
Families with children will find a children's room with a teaching "dig" and visual materials, and the ethnography section displays costumes, carpets, copperware and household items from the Ottoman period in Antalya. The exhibition is compact and logical, so one and a half to two hours is usually enough to see the key halls.
The easiest way to reach the museum from Antalya center is by the nostalgic tram to the "Müze" stop; city buses run along Konyaalti Street and taxis are also available. Nearby are Konyaalti Beach and Atatürk Park, and the old town Kaleici is a few tram stops away.
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