Istanbul Archaelogical Museums

Istanbul Archaelogy Museums are three buildings that are all in one place, but have properties of their own: Main Building, Old Eastern Works Museum, and Tiled Kiosk Museum. First two have ancient works, the other one dates back to the Conquest of Istanbul.

This is one of my favourite museums in Istanbul. You can find hundreds of works from Ancient Greek, Roman Empire, Byzantium, and also from the ancient civilizations of the Middle East. You can also follow the history of Istanbul-Constantinople. Don't forget to walk around the yard, where there are many artefacts exhibited at open air.

Main Building

History

Actually, historical works were being traced since Sultan Mehmet II. However, systematical museology started in 1869, when the Ottoman Empire Museum was founded. All the works that had been collected at Hagia Irene Church formed the formation of that museum. The museum is reopened in 1872, and the Tiled Kiosk, which stayed idle for centuries is opened in 1880.

Famous painter Osman Hamdi Bey made a breakthrough in 1881, after he became the museum director. He gathered works from all around Turkey (like Nemrut Mountain and ancient cities, such as Myrina, Kyme) in the museum. He made some works like the Tomb of Alexandre be returned to Istanbul.

Tiled Kiosk

A floor that is all about Istanbul

If you are particularly interested in Istanbul, the Main Building will serve you more than an archaelogical museum. The second floor of the building is all about the history of Istanbul. The finding are exhibited in a very organized manner. As an Istanbulite, I even got surprised to see and read some things about my hometown, and this visit will probably guide me to the future blog posts I'll write.

Where are Istanbul Archaelogical Museums?

It is very easy to get to the museums. The museum is very close to Gulhane Park. You have three options: You can either come directly with tram to the Gulhane stop, come downwards from Sultanahmet, or walk upwards from Sirkeci.

Warning: As June 2015, the Main Building is under construction. Some parts and some works, such as the tomb of Alexandre unfortunately cannot be seen.

A statue from the yard