The Antalya Archaeological Museum is one of Turkey’s largest museums, located in Antalya. It includes 13 exhibition halls and an open air gallery. It covers an area of 7,000 m2 (75,000 sq ft) and has 5000 works of art are exhibited. In addition a further 25,000–30,000 artifacts which cannot be displayed are in storage. As a museum exhibiting examples of works, which illuminate the history of the Mediterranean and Pamphylia regions in Anatolia, Antalya Museum is one of the most important of Turkey’s museums. The Museum won the “European Council Special Prize” in 1988.
At the end of the World War I, during the time when Antalya was under the Italian military occupation, Italian archeologists started to remove the archeological treasures that had been found in the center or the surroundings to the Italian Embassy, which they claimed to do in the name of civilization. To prevent these initiatives, Süleyman Fikri Bey, the Sultan’s teacher, applied to the Antalya post and jurisdiction of the provincial Governor in 1919 and had himself appointed as voluntary curator of antiquities and first tried to establish the Antalya Museum by collecting what remained in the center.
The museum at first operated in the Alâeddin Mosque in 1922, then in Yivli Minare Mosque beginning from 1937, and then moved to its present building in 1972. It was closed to visitors for a wide range of modifications and restorations in 1982. It was reorganized according to a modern approach for a museum and opened to the public in April 1985, after the restorations and display arrangements made by the General Directorate of Ancient Objects and Museums.
Roman Dancer at Antalya Archaeological Museum
Bronze age burial practice around here (for some): in a big amphora jar
Three Graces in Antalya Archaeological Museum
especially antalya museum must see. you can see all around this place antiq things. amazing. just land is different and exhibited.
Spend a full day and you will never regret. So big and complex. Herakles is back. A perfect chance to see the cradle of mankind.
Visited Nov. 2007. Wonderful collection of ancient sculpture, mosaics, weaving, coins, etc. Many statues and friezes from nearby Roman sites are preserved here in the museum. There are some St. Nikolas relics, ancient coins, ancient Anatolian cloth and pottery. Do not miss it if you like archaeology, art, or history.
We were really blown away by this museum. While the 'meat' of the museum is their marble statues, sarcophagi, and friezes, there are also lovely dioramas of the Anatolian region and pre-historic artifacts. However, we were captivated by the statues, including the newly reunited Herakles statue. Visit Perga first if you can — that will give you some context for…
Both me and my girlfriend grabbed a taxi that took us into central Antalya. The driver dropped us off by Hadrian's gate, the museum was a short tram-ride away.
The exhibits inside the museum are beautifully displayed. Majority of the exhibits have English translations but there is also an audio-tour if you wish to choose that instead. The admission fee…
This is a great museum, full of wonderful statues, all in very good shape. It's also very spacious, beautifully decorated with explanations for each statue, pictures, and so on. Even if you don't know much about archeology, you will definetely enjoy seeing the museum. The garden is lovely, too.