The superb Museum of Anatolian Civilisations is the perfect introduction to the complex weave of Turkey’s ancient past, housing artefacts cherry-picked from just about every significant archaeological site in Anatolia.
The museum is housed in a beautifully restored 15th-century bedesten (covered market). The 10-domed central marketplace houses reliefs and statues, while the surrounding hall displays exhibits from the earlier Anatolian civilisations: Palaeolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Assyrian, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartian and Lydian. The downstairs sections hold classical Greek and Roman artefacts and a display on Ankara’s history. Get there early to avoid the flood of tour groups and school parties.
The exhibits are chronologically arranged in a spiral: start at the Palaeolithic and Neolithic displays in the room to the right of the entrance, then continue in an anticlockwise direction, visiting the central room last.
Items from one of the most important Neolithic sites in the world Çatalhöyük, southeast of Konya – are displayed here. There’s a mock-up of the inside of a dwelling typical of those uncovered at the site, one of the most famous mother goddess sculptures unearthed from the excavations and wall paintings of hunting scenes.
Also on show are many finds from the Assyrian trading colony Kültepe, one of the world’s oldest and wealthiest bazaars. These include baked-clay tablets found at the site, which dates to the beginning of the 2nd millenium BC.
One of the striking Hittite figures of bulls and stags in the next room used to be the emblem of Ankara. The Hittites were known for their relief work, and some mighty slabs representing the best pieces found in the country, generally from around Hattuşa, are on display in the museum’s central room.
Most of the finds from the Phrygian capital Gordion, including incredible inlaid wooden furniture, are on display in the museum’s last rooms. The exhibits also include limestone blocks with still-indecipherable inscriptions resembling the Greek alphabet, and lion- and ram-head ritual vessels that show the high quality of Phrygian metalwork.
Urartian artifacts are also on display here. Spurred by rich metal deposits, the Urartians were Anatolia’s foremost metalworkers, as the knives, horse-bit, votive plates and shields on display demonstrate. There are also terracotta figures of gods in human form, some revealing their divine powers by growing scorpion tails, and neo-Hittite artefacts.
Downstairs, classical-period finds and regional history displays provide a local picture. Excavations have unearthed a Roman road near the Column of Julian, and Ankara has its own ‘missing link’, the 9.8-million-year-old Ankarapithecus (a 30kg, fruit-eating primate).
I just can't give it only 3 stars, because it really deserves a 5-star, if it weren't under restoration.
I am an ancient history fanatic, especially on Egyptology and Hittitology. I've been dying to see the ruins of the ancient Hittite kingdom out in Bogazkoy/Hattusas and Amasya. As you can imagine, Anatolian Civilizations Museum is on the top of my…
Currently several of the museum's halls are closed for renovation, but it's still worth a visit if you are interested in archeology. We loved all the artifact they had from the Hittites. Audio guides are available for rent. Give yourself about 2 hours for the visit. Café (overpriced) and good gift shop are available on the premises. The citadel (free)…
This museuam is located not too far from the Ankara castle; it's a very small museum that you can cover in no more than 2 hours.
even if it's some sections are closed now it's an amazing museum. I visited the place for several times, but i still can find new and interesting tihngs every time. if you are visiting Ankara you must see it.
I really wanted to see the statue of Cybele, but the Anatolian part is under renovation. However – they suffer from the Turkish problem of having an embarrassment of antiquities, so there is still plenty to see – including the oldest peace treaty and the oldest love poem!
The land that is currently Turkey has been home to some of the great empires in western history. For example, if you want to find out how accomplished and advanced the Hittites were before they disappeared from the face of the earth, go to this museum as soon as you can. The Hittites were way ahead of their time. And…
Only two sections were open this day, but it was very ointeresting to get an introduction to Turkey's past from hittit time and roman times.
Audio guide could be rented in a choice of languages.
The museum had a small shop with a good selection of english books related to history. Well worth a visit.
We enjoyed being guided around this museum as the identification signage was not the most detailed. But the exhibits were very interesting. I was disappointed to find that one of the items I was most interested in seeing was in a part of the museum which was closed for renovation. Don't know when the whole museum while open again.
As what most others have commented, a large part of the museum is still closed off. Other than the a large room showcasing the pre-roman times and another small room showcasing the brief technologies and history of the later empires. Having been to the Istanbul archeological museum, I found this area more insightful. And although most of the artefacts are…
It covers very ancient civilizations up to Ottoman times. Thge building itself is ancient. It is well organized and logical.