Istanbul Archaeology Museums

The Istanbul Archaeology Museums (Turkish: İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri) are a group of three archaeological museums located in the Eminönü quarter of Istanbul, Turkey, near Gülhane Park and Topkapı Palace.

Istanbul Archaeology Museums
İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri
Established13 June 1891
LocationOsman Hamdi Bey Yokuşu Sokak, Gülhane, Istanbul, Turkey
Coordinates41.010872°N 28.981659°E / 41.010872; 28.981659
TypeArchaeology museum
Collection size1+ million objects
Visitors382.148 (2011) [1]
DirectorZeynep Kızıltan
Websitehttps://muze.gen.tr/muze-detay/arkeoloji

The Istanbul Archaeology Museums consists of three museums:

  1. Archaeological Museum (in the main building)
  2. Museum of the Ancient Orient
  3. Museum of Islamic Art (in the Tiled Kiosk).

It houses over one million objects that represent almost all of the eras and civilizations in world history.

Background

The Ottoman sultan Abdülaziz (r. 1861–1876) was impressed by the archaeological museums in Paris (30 June – 10 July 1867),[2] London (12–23 July 1867)[2] and Vienna (28–30 July 1867)[2] which he visited in the summer of 1867,[2] and ordered a similar archaeological museum to be established in Istanbul.

History

Bust and memorial plaque to Osman Hamdi Bey in the foyer of the main building

The site of the museums belonged to the Topkapı Palace outer gardens. The museum was founded by decree as the Imperial Museum (Ottoman Turkish: Müze-i Hümayun or Turkish: İmparatorluk Müzesi) in 1891. The first curator and founder of the museum was Osman Hamdi Bey. Since an imperial decree protecting cultural goods in the Ottoman Empire was enforced, many governors from the provinces would send in found artefacts to the capital city. In that way the museum was able to amass a great collection. Upon its 100th anniversary in 1991, the museum received the European Council Museum Award, particularly for the renovations made to the lower floor halls in the main building and the new displays in the other buildings.

The construction of the main building was started by Osman Hamdi Bey in 1881, attaining its present neo-Greek form in 1908. The architect was Alexander Vallaury (who also designed the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul). The facade of the building was inspired by the Alexander Sarcophagus and Sarcophagus of the Mourning Women, both housed inside the Museum. It is one of the prominent structures built in the neoclassical style in Istanbul.

The Museum of the Ancient Orient was commissioned by Osman Hamdi Bey in 1883 as a fine arts school. Then it was reorganised as a museum, which opened in 1935. It was closed to visitors in 1963, and reopened in 1974 after restoration works on the interior.

The Tiled Kiosk was commissioned by Sultan Mehmed II in 1472. It is one of the oldest structures in Istanbul featuring Ottoman civil architecture, and was a part of the Topkapı Palace outer gardens. It was used as the Imperial Museum between 1875 and 1891 before the collection moved to the newly constructed main building. It was opened to public in 1953 as a museum of Turkish and Islamic art, and was later incorporated into the Istanbul Archaeology Museum.

Hours of operation, admittance fee

The museum is open to the public from 09:00 to 19:00, with ticket sales halting an hour before closing time; tickets are 50 TL. Closed on Mondays. [3]

Collection

The ornate Alexander Sarcophagus, once believed to be prepared for Alexander the Great, is among the most famous pieces of ancient art in the museum.[4]

The museum has a large collection of Turkish, Hellenistic and Roman artifacts, many gathered from the vast former territories of the Ottoman Empire. The most prominent artifacts exhibited in the museum include:

See also

References

  1. "Ministry of Culture and Tourism - Museum Statistics". kultur.gov.tr. January 1, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  2. "Sultan Abdülaziz - Avrupa Seyahati/Tarih/milliyet blog". blog.milliyet.com.tr. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
  3. "İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri - Visiting Hours And Admission". Istanbularkeoloji.gov.tr. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  4. "Istanbul Archaeology Museum". The New York Times. March 18, 2009. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  5. "Jerusalem seeks return of ancient tablet". USA Today. July 13, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  6. "J'lem mayor turns Turkey on tablet". Jerusalem Post. July 13, 2007.
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