Estanbul 2010

Istanbul Archaeological Museums is a complex of three museums: the Museum of Oriental Antiquités, the Archaeological Museum and the Tiled Pavilion Museum. The complex is located in the gardens in the first court of the Topkapi Palace. There are six-tythousand archaeological treasures, seven-hundred-sixty thousand coins and medallions, and seventy-five thousand clay tablets in these three museums.

Photo by Niyazi Uğur Genca

The Archaeological Museum was founded by the famous painter, archaeologist and curator of the time, Osman Hamdi, and opened to the public on June 13, 1891 under the name Miize-i Humayun (the Imperial Museum). The museum, which was rear ranged and enlarged by the addition of a new wing to the building, was reopened to the public on its centannial. The gate of this majestic building designed by architect Valaury is monumental.

In the halls to the right of the entrance, examples of “Antique Age Sculpture” are exhibited. Unique examples of sculpture from the Archaic age until the end of Roman era are exhibited in the halls of “Antique Grave Stones and Reliefs”, “Treasures from Persian Reign in Anatolia”, “Kenan Erim Hall (Aphrodisias Relics)”, “Three Marble Cities in Anatolia” (Ephesus, Miletus, Aphrodisias), “Hellenistic Sculpture”, “Magnesia AD Meandrum and Tralles (Aydin) Statue Groups”, “Hellenistic and Hellenistic Influenced Roman Sculpture”, “Roman Art of Portrait Making”, “Roman Empire Sculpture”. The majority of these artifacts was discovered during the excavations of the ancient cities in Anatolia.

Photo by Niyazi Uğur Genca

Following the counters, where souvenirs and books are sold, on the left of the entrances, is the hall dedicated to Osman Hamdi, the founder of the museum. Right after this hall, treasures unearthed during the excavation of the Royal Cemetery in Sidon are exhibited. Excavation of the Cemetery was carried on by Osman Hamdi, himself.

The first of the three sarcophagi standing side by side belongs to Tabnit, the king of Sidon. A unique Lician sarcophagus and a Satrap sarcophagus are also found in this hall. Next comes the world famous Sar-cophagus of Alexander the Great and the Sarcophagus of the Mourning Women. Both of these were discovered during the excavation of the Royal Cemetery in Sidon and they date back to the 4lh century B.C..

Various architectural fragments are displayed in the annex building. In its ground level is the hall of “Antique Age Anatolian Architecture” and in the first storey is the hall of “Istanbul Through the Centuries”. On the second storey, small archaeological finds belonging to the Paleolithic age, Early, Middle and Late Bronze ages and the Frigian State age in Anatolia are displayed under the heading “Anatolia Through the Centuries and Troy”. A section of this hall is reserved for the artifacts found in Troy and the treasures discovered in the settlements I-IX are displayed in separate showcases.
On the third storey, under the heading of treasures discovered in Cyprus, Palestine and Syria are displayed in chronological order.