A captivating amalgamates of antiquity and contemporary, Turkey is a magnificent rendezvous of east and west. Historically known as a Constantinople and Byzantium, Turkey is a home to many imperial places and architectural marvels. A center of world’s history and the land of Turks, Turkey, embraces ample majestic museums that put in the picture the past of the country. Turkey itself seems to be an aesthetic giant living museum that cuddles rich culture and heritage of the historic icons such as Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans.
Top 10 Museums in Turkey for An Insight of the Past
Museums in Turkey are one of the most impressive and enchanting museums of the world embracing profound history. Here, presenting you a list of top 10 museums in Turkey to give your eyes an archetypal bliss.
1. Hagia Sophia Museum
Once a Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral, later an Ottoman imperial mosque and now a museum located in Istanbul, the Haga Sophia Museum had been a great attraction always. Haga Sophia means holy wisdom and it is the most famous museum in Istanbul. Build in a span of 6 years, the museum’s antiquity embraces a 108 feet dome and its crown rises 180 feet above the pavement and its interiors adorning gold, silver, glass and colorful stones. Built in 6th century, this architectural epitome is marvelously filled with 30 million gold tiles making the place to look very elegant and luminescent and making it one of the most visited places in Turkey.
Location: Sultan Ahmet, Ayasofya Meydanı No.1, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul,Turkey
Timings:
Tuesday to Sunday- 9am to 5pm
Monday- Closed
2. Pera Museum
Adorning the remarkable Turkish painting ‘The Tortoise Trainer’ by Osman Hamdi Bey, which is also the most expensive art work ever sold, The Pera is very famous Istanbul Museum. A captivating mix of historic artifacts, traditional and modern art and masterpiece paintings, the Pera Museum was once the historic Hotel Bristol. The Pera Museum comprises of three enduring exhibitions- The Orientalist paintings, Anatolian Weight and Measures and the Kütahya tiles and ceramics making the ambiance a blend of Ottoman, Turkish and Anatolian cultures. Apart from adoring the beauty of the Museum, one can have a tranquil time while relishing a drink and a piece of cake at the Pera Museum Café.
Location: Asmalı Mescit, Meşrutiyet Cd. No.65, 34430 Beyoğlu/İstanbul,Turkey
Timings:
Tuesday to Saturday- 10 am to 7pm
Sunday-12pm to 6pm
Monday- Closed
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3. Anatolian Civilizations Museum
The Anatolian Civilization Museum, located at Anarka province of Turkey is one of the renowned museums in Turkey for is exquisite artifacts collected from the significant archeological site in Antolia. The historic museum showcases journey of heirlooms of about 900 years ago to present and artifacts belonging to Neolithic Ages, the Paleolithic and from Hittite, Urartu, Phrygian, and Roman civilizations.
Elected as the Museum of the Year in 1997, the Anatolian Civilizations Museum is a complete paradise for the history bluffs. The ancient jewelry section at the museum is one of the most fascinating sections for the tourists.
Location: Kale, Gözcü Sk. No:2, 06240 Ulus/Altındağ/Ankara, Turkey
Timings: 8:30am to 5:30pm
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4. Topkapi Palace Museum
One the famous Museums in Turkey, the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul was once a home to Ottoman Sultans. This colossal museum exhibits a majestic collection of the heirlooms of the Ottoman Empire and embraces a large collection of books and manuscripts of the ancient era in its library. The imperial architecture of the museum is a conspicuous one that showcases the life of Ottomans that used to live here in the ancient times. It consists of 4 courtyards that were made for different purposes: First as a public hall for ceremonies, second as the administrative place, third was the private residence of sultan and fourth as the gardens and pavilions.
Being a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription in 1985, this Istanbul Museum exhibits beautiful copper and gold utensils, Chinese and Japanese porcelains, Istanbul glassware and porcelain, European porcelains, treasury and lot more to explore.
Location: Cankurtaran, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey
Timings:
Wednesday to Monday- 10 am to 4pm
Tuesday-Closed
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5. The Ephesus Archaeological Museum
Located in Selcuk near the Greek city of Izmir, Turkey the Ephesus Archaeological Museum is a remarkable archaeological place, famous for the ancient statue of the Greek Goddess Artemis, which was retrieved from the Temple of the Goddess makes this place one of the great attractions in Turkey. This Museum attracts flocks of tourists all year long for the artifacts unearthed between 1867 and 1905. The museum embraces heirlooms like coins, remnants from tombs and buildings, sculptures and various art works of the ancient era. The museum showcases a number of galleries, halls and a museum shop and a café. There is also a 10 mins long 3D simulation video where visitors can visualize about the ancient era before visiting the galleries for a better experience.
Location: Atatürk, Uğur Mumcu Sevgi Yolu, 35920 Selçuk/İzmir,Turkey
Timings: 9am-6:30pm
6. Mevlana Museum
Located in Konya, Turkey, the Mevlana Museum was originally a home to the famous poet, philosopher, and religious leader Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi. The marvel architecture of the museum comprises of a ’Kubbe-i Hadra’ (Green Dome), placed on four special pillars which makes the mausoleum look elegant. The beautiful architecture of the Museum been divided into several sections such as chant rooms, Dervish cells, outdoors, Kitchen, Yard and Library. The museum showcases heirlooms such as carpets, wooden artworks, books, etc.
This Turkey museum have graves of Mevlana’s father, Mevlana and his other family members as well. The museum’s imperial ambiance appeal to a fair number of tourists every year.
Location: Aziziye Mah, Mevlana Cd. No:1, 42030 Karatay/Konya, Turkey
Timings: 9am-5:30pm
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7. Zeugma Mosaic Museum
Amongst all the enthusiastic things to do in Turkey, getting lost in the beauty of mosaic is a must. Located in the town of Gaziantep, Turkey, the Zeugma Museum Mosaic containing 1700m ² of mosaics, is the biggest Mosaic Museum in the world comprising of numerous mosaics. The magnificent place is an architectural epitome displaying mosaics found lying near river Euphrates, from Roman Haman and other locations. The most alluring masterpiece that the museum showcases are the statue of mars, the God of war and spring and the mournful expression of the Gypsy Girl mosaic. The beautiful museum takes people back in the flavors of the lifestyle, beliefs and culture of ancient city, by recreating their ambiance.
Location: Mithatpaşa, Hacı Sani Konukoğlu Blv., 27500 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep, Turkey
Timings: 8:30am to 5pm
8. Antalya Museum
Located in Konyaaltı, Antalya, the Antalya Museum is one of the largest museums of Turkey displaying about 5000 art works in 13 halls. The artifacts reflect the entire history of the Antolia. The museum homes numerous astonishing Roman sculptures and the most alluring one and the finest of all is the statue of Heracles which was evacuated in 2 parts. The lower half was evacuated by the Turkish archeologists at Perge in 1980 and the upper half was later found in the collection of Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. The ravishing ambiance of the place and the magical pieces of art makes this museum one of the most fascinating museums in Turkey. The Ottoman heirloom collection includes relics like weapons, apparels, carpets, tents of the nomadic families which will revive the flavors of Ottoman history.
Location: Bahçelievler, Konyaaltı Cd. No.88, 07050 Muratpaşa/Antalya,Turkey
Timings: Tuesday to Sunday- 8:30 am to 5:30 pm
Monday-Closed.
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9. Troy Museum
Located in the ancient city of Troy, the Troy Museum is an archeological museum showcasing the excavations retrieved from the nearby sites. The niches on the walls showcases large size statues, gravestones, mural-sized photographs and other beautiful artifacts are found on the seven sections of the museum. Other beautiful artifacts include ornaments, bracelets, coins, bone objects, metal containers, gold pieces and various tools in which some sculptures are about 5000 years old. Among the other artifacts, the most pulchritudinous is the statue of Greek God Triton, making the museum a great attraction amongst other museums in Turkey.
Location: 17100 Tevfikiye/Çanakkale Merkez/Çanakkale,Turkey
Timings: 8:30am to 5:30pm
10. Mersin Museum of Archeology
Operated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Mersin Museum is the main museum of Mersin city and one of the renowned Turkey museums. It comprises of 2 floors and some artifacts are also displayed in the yard. The first-floor adorns stelae and amphorae of the Roman period and the second-floor embraces handicrafts, metal ornaments, utensils and pottery artifacts of the Chalcolithic, Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. Other heirlooms like carpets, beautiful clothes, weapons, ornaments, and 999 coins will give you a glimpse of the Turkmen culture.
Location: Gazi Mah, Adnan Menderes Blv. No:54, 33130 Yenişehir/Mersin, Turkey
Timings: 8:30am to 4:30pm
Fascinated? Well! The museums in Turkey will make your trip a lifetime memory. Comprising of a total of 99 museums, the Turkey itself seems to be a gigantic museum. The captivating mix of artifacts of different eras and the pulchritudinous architectures will take you back to a mesmerizing journey in the ancient flavors. Turkey is the best place to visit in September in the world. Book your Turkey flights today and pack your bags with woolens and don’t forget to take your camera along and discover the charming ambiance of the Turkish.
FAQs
The Hagia Sophia Museum adorns 30 million gold tiles making the place to look very elegant and luminescent. It also embraces a 108 feet dome and its crown rises 180 feet above the pavement. The marvelous interiors of the museum adorn gold, silver, glass and colorful stones making the museum very famous.
Turkey adorns a lot of beautiful museums. Some of the famous museums are-
- Hagia Sophia Museum
- Pera Museum
- Anatolian Civilizations Museum
- Topkapi Palace Museum
- The Ephesus Archaeological Museum
The Topkapi Palace Museum, was once a home to Ottoman Sultans. Being a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription in 1985, the museum exhibits beautiful copper and gold utensils, Istanbul glassware and porcelain, European porcelains, treasury, Chinese and Japanese porcelains, and lot more artifacts that will take you back in the ancient colors.
The Ephesus Museum is famous for the ancient statue of the Greek Goddess Artemis, which was retrieved from the Temple of the Goddess. The museum embraces heirlooms like sculptures, coins and various art works of the ancient era. The museum embraces a number of halls, galleries and a museum shop and a café.
The Antalya Museum is a home to the famous statue of Heracles that was evacuated in two parts. The lower half of the statue was first evacuated by Turkish archeologists at Perge and the upper part was later discovered at collection of Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. The museum homes numerous astonishing Roman sculptures which reflect the entire history of the Antolia.
There are a total of 35 international airports in Turkey amongst which Istanbul Atatürk Airport (IST) is the biggest and busiest airport.
The Mevlana Museum was originally a home to the famous poet, philosopher, and religious leader Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi. The mausoleum of the great poet is now a famous museum which is located in Konya, Turkey.
Once a historic Hotel Bristol, the Pera Museum endures 3 exhibitions- The Orientalist paintings, Anatolian Weight and Measures and the Kütahya tiles and ceramics making the aura a blend of Ottoman, Anatolian and Turkish cultures. It showcases historic artifacts, traditional and modern art and masterpiece paintings.
