Antalya Archaeological Museum
Antalya Archaeological
Museum. (click for photos).
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:30 AM to 5:50 PM, The Antalya Archaelogical Museum is a must-see. It's located on the western end of the coastal and scenic Konyaalti Bulvari, just inland from Konyaalti beach. The museum is also the last stop on the western end of the tram route, and is about two kilometers from city center. You can also get to the museum on a dolmus displaying the placard "Muze" or "Liman" (the industrial port).
The museum has sections categorized by both time period and topic. Just inside the main entrance is the children's section.
Children's Section
Resembling a children's classroom, this section features models of ancient towns as well as artificial pottery and tools children can hold and play with.
Pre-historic section
Features fossils and stone tools, idols, and human remains including a portion of a skull of a Neanderthal child. Most of the relics in this section of the Antalya museum were excavated in the Karain Cave, located around 30 kilometers northwest of Antalya.
Bronze Age section
Statues of Emperors and Empresses,
Antalya Archaeological
Museum. (click for photos).
Features tools and pottery, as well as burial urns containing skeletons, depicting them as they would have been buried at the time. Several showcases display Phrygian artifacts including pottery, metal work and figurines.
Statuary Room
Also known as the "Hall of the Gods," This is probably the Antalya Archaeological Museum's main attraction. The entire room is dedicated to ancient statuary found in Perge and Aspendos, as well as larger-than-life statues of 16 gods and goddesses from ancient mythology, as well as emperors and empresses.
Sarcophagi Room
The Sarcophagi Room displays various sarcophagi in amazingly good condition, with intricately detailed art work.
Icons from the Roman and Byzantine Periods
Ancient Coins found in Nearby
Excavations. (click for photos).
Moving to more recent history, this room displays a variety of icons from Roman and Byzantine times. Probably most unusual is an ancient display case containing several of the bones of Saint Nicholas, better known as Santa Claus. The real Saint Nicholas lived and died in Myra, today called Demre.
Ethnography Room
Focusing on the Ottoman era, the ethnography room displays items including ceramics, clothing, uniforms, weapons, writing instruments and a life-sized diaramas of ottoman life.
There is also a decent coffee shop and souvenir/book store as you come to the exit the Antalya Archaeological Museum.
Turkey Central also has an Antalya Forum where you can meet others who share your interest in Antalya. Please feel free to visit an join our community!