Antalya Museum

About

The Antalya Museum or Antalya Archaeological Museum (Turkish: Antalya Müzesi) was one of Turkey's largest museums, located in Muratpaşa, Antalya. It includes 13 exhibition halls and an open-air gallery. It covers an area of 7,000 m2 (75,000 ft2) and 5000 works of art are exhibited. In addition, a further 25,000–30,000 artefacts which cannot be displayed are in storage. As a museum exhibiting examples of works, which illuminate the history of the Mediterranean and Pamphylia regions in Anatolia, Antalya Museum is one of the most important museums in Turkey. The museum won the "European Council Special Prize" in 1988. Starting in July 2025, the museum was closed for demolition, with all its holdings moved to temporary storage on-site.

At the end of the World War I, during the time when Antalya was under Italian military occupation, Italian archaeologists started removing archaeological treasures that had been found in the city centre and surrounding the Italian Embassy, which they claimed to do in the name of civilization. To prevent these initiatives, Süleyman Fikri Bey, the Sultan's advisor, applied to the Antalya post of provincial governor in 1919, had himself appointed as voluntary curator of antiquities, and first established Antalya Museum to try and collect what remained in the centre. At first, in 1922, the museum operated in the Alâeddin Mosque, then from 1937 to 1972 it operated in Yivli Minare Mosque where it was later on moved to its present building. It was closed to visitors in order to make a wide range of modifications and restorations in 1982. It was reorganized, following modern museum concepts, and was reopened to the public in April 1985, after the restorations and display arrangements made by the General Directorate of Ancient Objects and Museums.

Antalya Museum is currently closed for rebuilding. A 2020 seismic analysis indicated that the museum's structure was at high risk of earthquake damage. The new museum is planned to span around 20,000 square meters of enclosed space at a cost of around $65 million. Officials say that the project will triple storage capacity and bring their conservation technology up-to-date. The Antalya Museum is not the only one facing these changes; heritage sites and museums throughout Turkey are facing similar closures during major renovations. Academics, professional groups, and the public have expressed outrage over the sudden demolition. They point to the museum's value as a cultural landmark. It was the first Turkish museum design to result from an architectural competition, which was held in 1964. Critics are also concerned about the speed with which this process has unfolded and the lack of opportunities for the public to participate. The seismic performance analysis, which officials cited as necessitating the change, has not yet been made public. Many have demanded to see the results, suggesting the current structure should be reinforced rather than demolished. Despite the protests, demolition processes began in September 2025. As of May 2026, the site is currently under rebuilding.

Antalya Museum consists of 13 exhibition rooms, 1 open-air exhibition area, laboratories, a storeroom, repair shops, a photographic room, a conference hall, administrative offices, a cafeteria and living quarters for museum officials. The exhibition rooms are as follows:

The hall shows living creatures from man down to one celled animals, charts and pictures, fossils and bones.

Here, the artefacts found in Karain, Öküzini and Sehahöyük are exhibited. Karain is the name of a cave in Antalya, which has been the place for series of civilizations. The works range from those of the Palaeolithic to those of the Roman Age. Works include animal fossils, kitchen utensils and likewise.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.