Antalya Archaeological Museum

The Antalya Archaeological Museum is one of the best museums of its kind in Turkey. The exhibits displayed here come from archaeological sites from Antalya province and provide visitors with extensive knowledge and information about the Anatolia region of Turkey. The most important sites on display in this museum are: the Karain caves, the ancient city of Perge and the cities of the Lykian civilization.

The richness of the collections and their presentation in the spacious, modern interior is what attracts, encouraging visitors to spend many hours in this place. The uniqueness of this museum has also been recognized by countries around the world - in 1988 the Council of Europe awarded it the Museum of the Year Award.

This was the first museum in Antalya established in 1919, shortly after the end of World War I. Teacher Süleyman Fikri Erten, who had saved many archaeological pieces from looting, decided to give them a suitable site. Initially, the collections were displayed at the Yivli Minaret mosque, located in the historic Kaleiçi district. In 1972, a new building was built on the west side of the city and the mosque was converted into the Museum of Ethnology.

The building of the Archaeological Museum in Antalya boasts 30,000 square meters of exhibition space. The exhibits are arranged in several spacious halls, and some of them are located in the garden of the museum. The objects owned by the museum illustrate thousands of years of human activity in the Antalya region. Because of the large number of exhibits and the vastness of the museum, visitors usually need at least half a day to visit it.

Natural History Room

This small part of the museum displays fossils and animal bones from different geological epochs. The most interesting specimens are: shells of giant snails, fossils of extinct cephalopods, shells of foraminifera and anthozoans.

Hall of Prehistoric Artifacts

This hall displays finds from the Paleolithic, Middle Stone Age, Neolithic and early Bronze Age. The artifacts on display are mostly bone and stone tools. Illustrated tables explain the manufacturing process of these tools. There is also an exhibition demonstrating the tanning process.

The main focus of this exhibition is on objects from the Karain cave, but also some objects found from Öküzini and Sehahöyük. One of the most beautiful artifacts is a figure of a woman, found in Hacılar Höyük, Burdur province.

An extremely interesting feature of this exhibit is the reconstructed tomb from the Karataş-Semayük site near the town of Elmalı. At this site, an Early Bronze Age cemetery was found, where the bodies were buried in clay pots placed underground.

Hall of ceramics and small objects

These spacious rooms are dedicated to displaying small finds dating from the 14th century BC to the 15th century AD. The exhibits are arranged by topic and chronologically - there are special sections devoted to the Geometric periods (9-7 centuries BC), Ancient (7th to 5th centuries BC). ) as well as the Roman and Byzantine eras (5-15 BC) AD).

Much of the space is used to display ceramic works, beautifully presented and meticulously described. The tables explain the application of touch screen techniques such as craters, pyxis, kylix and skyphos.

The second part of this exhibition is devoted to specific archaeological sites from the Antalya region. They are illustrated by various finds - clay and glass vases as well as bronze objects and gold jewelry.

Furthermore, profiles of the most famous researchers who have dedicated their lives to the studies of this area are presented, including Thomas Marksteiner, Jürgen Borchhardt, Arif Müfid Mansel and Fahri Işık. They conducted research at the nearby archaeological sites of Myra, Limyra, Patara, Perge and Side.

Mosaic Art Exhibition Hall

The centerpiece of this hall was used to display ancient mosaics found in the region of Lycia, in Seleukeia and Xanthos. The walls are collected from various locations, including illustrations of Hermes and Meleager from Perge and a woman from Rhodiapolis. The best exhibit here is a three-headed statue of Hekate, goddess of the underworld, unearthed in Pisidian Antioch.

Portrait gallery

The museum's separate room is dedicated to exhibiting the marble heads of famous and unknown men and women from the ancient world. These heads were collected at many archaeological sites, including Perge, Patara, Letoon, and date from the 2nd to 4th centuries AD.

Hall of the Emperor and the Gods

These two halls often make the best impression on visitors. This is a place dedicated to the presentation of statues from the excavations in Perge. Most of these statues date from the 2nd century AD.

In the center of the Emperor's Hall there are statues of the Three Ensembles and a dancing woman. Along the walls of this room are displayed well-preserved statues of Roman emperors along with their wives and other important figures. Emperor Hadrian sternly observed visitors and was easily recognized by his trimmed beard. In fact, there are three statues of this emperor in the great hall - two of which show him in full armor and one nude in a classical fashion. Lucius Verus' beard is even more impressive, but unfortunately not much has been preserved from his statue.

Emperor Trajan is depicted in fine armor and, in contrast to Hadrian, has no beard. Septimius Severus is depicted in a playful mood, quite unexpected for an emperor known for his serious attitude. The majestic statue of a real woman is dedicated to Plankia Magna, who played an important role in Perge's development during the city's golden age.

The Hall of the Gods, as its name suggests, is dedicated to statues of ancient gods and goddesses. They were also made in Perge, in the 2nd century AD, but are mostly just copies of older Greek statues. The naked Apollo looks tragically into the distance, Artemis - the goddess of the hunt - has lost her bow, Athena's breasts are covered with a lock of skin scales, with Medusa's head in the center.

Besides gods from the classical, Greco-Roman ensemble, such as Nemesis and Hygieneia, there are also Egyptian deities on display. Serapis doesn't look particularly happy, but this impression may be the result of a missing nose. He is accompanied by Isis, however the only traces of Horus are only his feet.

Perge . Theater Artifacts Hall

A separate museum exhibit is devoted to the architectural elements and statues that once adorned the theater in Perge. Many of these statues display admirable dynamics: Heracles flexing his muscles, Emperor Trajan standing indifferently, the god of wine - Dionysus - holding his head, only Alexander the Great standing. proud, like statues from ancient times.

The central part of the exhibition is a statue of Marsyr satyr, and the walls of the gallery are decorated with reliefs depicting various mythological scenes.

Sarcophagus . Hall

The wealth displayed by the coffins in this room can leave visitors feeling dizzy. These exhibits represent the three main groups of Anatolian coffins. The first group is called the Pamphylian which can be recognized by the distinctive garlands and figures of Nike and Eros. They were made in workshops in Perge, and then exported to all corners of the Roman Empire, including Rome.

The second group is called Sidemara or columned coffins. This is the most common type of coffin found in Asia Minor, and the coffins included in the museum collection come from the region of Pamphylia. These coffins feature decorations reminiscent of temples with colonnades. Between the columns, in the form of reliefs showing the daily life of the deceased. The most interesting specimen of this type of coffin on display in the museum is called the Laborer of Hercules. Another great example is the coffin of the couple Domitias Julianus, made in the 2nd century AD.

The most unique coffin in the museum's collection is the coffin with medals. It is the only one of its kind that has been preserved intact, adorned with medallions supported by carved statues of the goddess Nike.

In addition, there are sarcophagi for children and an extremely rare coffin, specially prepared for dogs. A separate section of the exhibition is devoted to the funerary customs of the ancient period. Some attention is also given to the exhibition of the monumental tomb of the Lycian king - Pericles - from Limyra, 4th century BC.

Hall of icons

The icons collected in this part of the museum come from the Antalya region and date from the 18th to 19th centuries. The icons collected are a valuable witness to the Greek presence in the area. region of Antalya, which ended with the exchange of populations between Turkey and Greece in the 20s of the 20th century. These icons depict scenes from the activity of Jesus, the Last Judgment. , The Ascension of Mary and the Life of John the Baptist.

Coin display hall

The coins on display in the museum include pieces from antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the modern era. Visitors should pay special attention to collections of coins or treasures that have been buried for centuries and then discovered intact by archaeologists. A great example of this genre is the treasure of Aspendos, which includes 206 golden statues (Greek coins). These coins are believed to have been minted at Aspendos, and the latest one is dated to 350 BC. It is believed that the owner carefully hid his treasure after hearing that Alexander the Great approached the city in 332 BC.

Ethnographic and Turkish galleries and works of the Islamic period

The ethnographic section represents a small portion of the museum's collections and appears to have been rather poorly prepared. There are carpets, traditional costumes, weapons, tiles from the Seljuk and Ottoman times, manuscripts, lampstands, a large collection of wooden spoons, and even a chariot. The most interesting elements of this exhibition are the reproduction of the interior of a typical Antalya household from the 19th century and the nomad's tent.

Children's section

In a lobby specially prepared for the youngest visitors there are miniatures of important historical sites in Turkey. Children can see the ruins of the ancient cities of Perge, Aspendos and Patara, explore the Karain Caves or a household from Çatalhöyük as well as the fortifications of Alacahöyük, or admire the Lycian rock tombs of Myra .

Museum Garden

In the museum's garden, there are mainly stone artifacts from the Roman era, which are too large to fit inside the building.

The Archaeological Museum of Antalya is located southwest of the city at Konyaaltı Caddesi. The distance to the museum from the historical center of Antalya (i.e. Kaleiçi district) is 2.5 km. Next to the museum is the first station of the Nostalji Tramvay (Nostalgic Tram Line) line that connects the western districts of Antalya with its historic center and the eastern beach district of Lara. The tram runs every half hour, from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm.

The Archaeological Museum in Antalya is open daily, in summer (April to October) from 9:00 am to 6:30 pm. During winter (November to March), visiting hours are: 8 am to 5 pm.

An audio guide can be rented for 10 liras for the opportunity to listen to detailed explanations relating to all the exhibits in the museum. The system is available in English, Turkish, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish. This solution is highly recommended as some exhibits only have information boards in Turkish.

Opening hours: Daily, from 08:00 to 17:00

Ticket price: 25 liras/pax

Address: Bahçelievler Mh., 07050 Muratpaşa/Antalya Province, Turkey