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
The treasures in the museum are great, particularly the statuary from sites around the area. Also neat info on "salvage" work. A must if you want to really have a sense of the region
this is a gem of a museum – wonderful objects from the important local sites and interesting artifacts from archaeological digs – and most importantly info on the people who conducted the digs. Lovely garden tearoom and shop and blissfully air cond in the 32 degree heat!
very well organized you need 2 hours at least second floor should be visited too
This is another must when visiting Antalya. If you are and art lover and you enjoy history, then apart 5 hours of your agenda to visit this amazing museum with tons and tons of arqueological remails in great form.
Impressive display of Paleolithic and Bronze age artifacts. Impressive coin collection upstairs but really fine quality of Roman statutes, sarcophagus (sarcophagi??), and the audio guide was great in explaining the significance, the mythology, and the historical relevance of the many statues and sarcophaguses ( sarcophagi?). Admission was inexpensive and we spent 3 hours looking through the museum. Would recommend the…
Fantastic collection, with good audio guide. An oasis of cool in the summer heat and well worth a visit (right next to the beach, so combine the trips!)
One of the best archaeological museums I've visited so far. it is organized according to a modern approach for a museum and the audioguide is well worth the 5 Tl cost. If you are interested in the subject allow at least three or four hours to visit this museum. Make sure you don't miss the Statuary Hall.
Beautifull lighting to really set of the statues.These marble statues were best I've seen in Turkey .. Also interesting section of aturkish /ottaman culture
Its a nice museum to visit, you dont need a complete day to see it. A must visit if you are in Antalya.
What a great place! Turkey is filled with such history and culture, I'm so glad I went; and if you like history and culture this museum will be very enjoyable. By the way, we paid our entry fee using Euros and a special thanks to them for their great exchange rate.