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
I nice place to spend an hour or 2. The exibits are very good and interesting.
Brilliant collection, beautifully displayed. Considering the quality of the building, the beautiful garden, it was a pity that the cafe was astonishingly poor.
Very interesting displays, well documented and lit. One of the best archeological museums I've visited. A must for anyone visiting Antalya.
Very modern, well laid out museum, with an extraordinarily rich collection of Roman sculpture, but lots of other interesting exhibits, including a section on local life in past centuries. Charming gardens. Very poor café.
During the summer season it is open everyday, ( sometime in winter on. Monday check it by phone before you go to visit) small size well designed museum, has different section ( kids, Paleolithic , Neolithic ,pre Hellenic , and Hellenic, pre Roman and Roman time, as well as Ethnographical items,were found in the region, you may spend 2-3 hours…
The museum is not so big that you can't do it in a couple of hours. From the city centre you can take a tram from the Clock Tower – they stop in front of the museum. The museum has a variety of things on display, from sarcophagi to pottery, jewellery and coins, and lots of statues of course. You…
15 lira entry fee worth while – just over a fiver – much to see and a rubble searchers dream ! Easy to get to by bus from the hotel and easy to spend two or three hours inside.
Brilliant museum is a must for anyone interested in the areas art and history. Statues from Perge and Sida are amasing.
The museum was smaller than we expected but well laid out with most of the exhibits described in English. The gift shop was small with most of the items available in the shops in Antalya. The cafe was small with very few choices so eat before you go!
It was amazing that the tour took you through 5,000 years in 1-2 hours.
Take the audio tour for an extra 10TL.
We arrived quite late in the afternoon and we saw more members of staff that visitors, it was wonderful.
Visit the gardens as well. These are free. They have some amazing artifacts all over the place. There are…