History of Istanbul Archaeology Museums

The enthusiasm in gathering historical artefacts stretches back to Mehmet the Conqueror’s reign, but the foundation of Istanbul Archaeological Museums as Müze-i Hümayun in 1869 marks the institutional beginnings of museums (Imperial Museum). The Istanbul Archaeological Museum’s foundation is Müze-i Humayun, which houses the archaeological works acquired in the Hagia Irene Church. Because Hagia Irene proved insufficient, the Tiled Kiosk, built during Mehmet the Conqueror’s reign, was converted into a museum. In 1880, the Tiled Kiosk, which is presently managed by the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, was renovated and reopened its doors.

The appointment of Osman Hamdi Bey (Biography) as museum director in 1881 was a watershed moment in Turkish museology. Osman Hamdi Bey excavated in Mount Nemrud, Myrina, Kyme, other Alolia Necropolises, and Lagina Hekate Temple, and as a consequence of excavations he conducted in Sayda (Sidon) between 1887 and 18888, he reached the necropolis of King Sidon and brought back to Istanbul with many sarcophagi, including Alexander the Great’s famous sarcophagi.

The Tiled Kiosk (1472 CE) is the earliest structure in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum complex. One of Istanbul’s oldest instances of Ottoman civil architecture is the Tiled Kiosk Museum, which today houses a collection of Turkish tiles and ceramics.

The Archaeological Museum is one of the few structures in the world built as a museum during that historical period. It is one of Istanbul’s most stunning and magnificent examples of neo-classical architecture. The inscription “Asar- Atika Müzesi” is written in Ottoman Turkish on the pediments of the museum’s entrance gates (Museum of Antiquities). Sultan Abdulhamid II is represented by the tughra on the inscription.

The Tomb of Iskender (Alexander Sarcophagus), Tomb of “Crying Women” (Sarcophagus of the Mourning Women), Lycia Tomb, and Tabnit Tomb, which were transferred to Istanbul from the Sidon King Necropolis excavations conducted by Osman Hamdi Bey between 1887 and 1888, required a new museum structure. The Classical Building of the Istanbul Archeological Museum, created by the renowned architect Alexandre Vallaury, was inaugurated on June 13th, 1891, directly across from The Tiled Kiosk.

7 Days Turkey Tour Package – Highlights of Turkey

What to see in Istanbul Archaeology Museums

As stated above, the Istanbul Archaeological Museums are a collection of museums in Istanbul that are divided into three sections: the Archaeology Museum, the Museum of the Ancient Orient, and the Tiled Kiosk Museum, it will be great idea to know what these antique pieces of elegance hold for the tourists.

Archaeology Museum

This massive neoclassical edifice, on the opposite side of the column-filled courtyard from the Museum of the Ancient Orient, was undergoing renovations when we visited. It has a large collection of classical statues and sarcophagi, as well as displays on Istanbul’s ancient, Byzantine, and Ottoman histories.

Sarcophagi from places such as the Royal Necropolis of Sidon (Side in modern-day Lebanon), found in 1887 by Osman Hamdi Bey, are among the museum’s most valuable items. Don’t miss the magnificent Alexander and Mourning Women Sarcophagus.

Museum of the Ancient Orient

This 1883 structure, which is immediately on the left after entering the complex, has a collection of pre-Islamic artefacts collected from across the Ottoman Empire. A massive blue-and-yellow glazed-brick panel that originally flanked the processional route and the Ishtar gate of ancient Babylon and an 8th-century BC Hittite moulding of a rock carving representing the storm god Tarhunza are among the highlights. Real and mythical animals like as lions, dragons, and bulls are shown in the latter.

The Tiled Kiosk Museum

From 1875 to 1891, it served as the Imperial Museum. It was opened in 1953 as the Fatih Museum, which featured Turkish and Islamic art. Because of its location, it was given to the Istanbul Archeological Museum in 1981. The building has a single storey in the front and two floors in the back. At the entryway, there is a marble arcade with 14 columns. Mosaic tiles are used to embellish the entrance. Diverse tiles and pottery from the Selcuk and Ottoman periods are on show in the kiosk’s six chambers and centre salon. The museum and its storehouse house a total of 2000 works.

8 Days Turkey Tour Package

How to Get to Istanbul Archaeology Museums

The Archaeology Museum is situated just to the right of the Gülhane Park entrance gate on the road leading up to Topkap Palace. The most practical way to get to Sultanahmet is via Bagcilar-Kabatas tram (T1 line).

Istanbul Archaeology Museums Map

Istanbul Archaeology Museums Visiting Information

Visiting Hours: Every day except Mondays between 09:30-19:00 (from 01 April to 01 October), 09:00-17:30 (from 01 October to 01 April).

Ticket Price: The ticket booths close one hour before the museum closes. 60 TL at the location’s ticket window.

Basilica Cistern Museum

The Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan in Turkish, which implies “sinking to the ground”), which today serves as a museum, is one of the most beautiful mystical structures and famous museums in Istanbul, as well as one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. One of the city’s most stunning and magical structures. The two Medusa Heads, which serve as supports beneath the two columns at the cistern’s northwest side, are the most interesting and draw the most attention.

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya in Turkish) is one of the most visited sites and famous museums in Istanbul. Hagia Sophia is a former church and museum that has been designated as one of the world’s greatest architectural achievements and is regarded as the world’s eighth wonder. Constructed as a church in 325, Hagia Sophia was renovated in 537 and transformed to a mosque in 1453 by Fatih Sultan Mehmet following the conquest of Istanbul.

After Turkey’s administrative court reversed a 1934 judgement that paved the way for Hagia Sophia’s usage as a museum, a decree on the 10th of July 2020 to legally classify the Hagia Sophia as a mosque was issued.

Topkapi Palace Museum

Topkapi Palace, one of the top museums in Istanbul, might be regarded the best and most visited sights in Istanbul. It is a spectacular oriental palace and one of the best architectural works, located on a triangular promontory overlooking the Bosphorus and Golden Horn.

5 Days Turkey Tour – Istanbul Cappadocia Tour

Istanbul Archaeology Museums

One of the world’s best archaeology museums, with a tremendous set of prehistoric, Sumerian, Egyptian, Greek, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman antiquities, sculptures, and sarcophagi, and one of the best museums in Istanbul, with an enormous gathering go back to the earliest civilizations and realize how far humans have come, and see the gathering of prehistoric, Sumerian, Egyptian, Greek, Hellenistic,

Dolmabahce Palace Museum

Dolmabahce Palace Museum, one of the famous museums in Istanbul, is a majestic structure located on the banks of the Bosphorus in Besiktas. It was the home of the final six Ottoman Sultans, as well as Ataturk, the Turkish Republic’s founder. The Dolmabahce palace is built in white marble and has a basic European baroque style with an exotic feel.

On the shores of the Bosphorus in Besiktas, one of the most magnificent palaces. The entire palace complex is breathtaking. Over 50,000 artefacts are housed in the palace’s hundreds of chambers. The palace’s interior is designed in the style of wealthy European palaces and depicts the era’s grandeur.

Istanbul Museum of Modern Art

Istanbul Modern, also known as the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, was Turkey’s first private museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art. One of Istanbul’s top museums, particularly for fans of modern art. Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, one of the top museums in Istanbul, opened in 2004 on an 8,000-square-meter property in Karakoy, near the Bosphorus. The museum has recently risen to prominence as Turkey’s most famous and prestigious modern art museum.

Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts

The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts is enlisted in famous museums in Istanbul that exhibits both Turkish and Islamic art. It is located in Sultanahmet, at the Ibrahim Pasha Palace (one of the most famous buildings of Ottoman civil architecture in the 16th century). The museum was the last to open during the Ottoman Empire, and it houses about 40,000 objects in its carpet, manuscript, wood, glass-metal-ceramic, and ethnographic divisions.

10 Days Turkey Tour – Multi City

Chora Museum Istanbul

The Chora Mosque (previously Church-Museum), Kariye in Turkish, is one of Istanbul’s most magnificent heritage landmarks. It is part of a monastery that dates back to the 6th century. Chora is home to some of the most stunning Byzantine mosaics and frescoes. Nowadays, it enjoys the reputation of being the best museums in Istanbul.

Private Sakip Sabancı Fine Arts Museum

The Sakip Sabanci Museum, enlisted in the most famous museums in Istanbul, is a private fine arts museum that has exceptional Ottoman treasures and provides visitors with a museological experience. The museum, which is housed in a lovely white home on the Bosphorus shore in Emirgan neighborhood, was founded in 2002 to honor the memory of the great Turkish businessman Sakip Sabanci (1933-2004). The museum features displays of Ottoman calligraphy, religious and governmental documents, Ottoman paintings, archaeology and stone works, and a woodwork and modern art collection.

Miniature Turkey Museum

A magnificent open-air museum that displays miniature versions of Turkey’s most famous sights and architectural masterpieces. You’ll witness small versions of Turkey’s most famous landmarks and structures, scaled down to 1/25 of their actual sizes. The Istanbul Crystal Museum and the Panorama Victory Museum are both located within the museum.