Istanbul is a city that attracts annually millions of tourists from all over the world. A centuries-old history, thousands of monuments of architecture and art, many places where huge and diverse expositions are presented. All the most interesting of various eras is presented in the Archaeological Museum of Istanbul.
Location of the complex
In an effort to see as much as possible while staying in one of the largest cities in Turkey, it is worthwhile to carefully prepare for the trip. Exploration of the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul will take a lot of time. Therefore, finding it on the map and drawing up a route in advance is an important preparatory stage.
You can get to the complex by taxi, immediately indicating the purpose of the trip, or by public transport. If you want to save a little, you can take the tram tracks. For many years, a special tourist route has been operating. A light rail moving along the T1 line, driving along the streets of the Old Town that is the most saturated from a historical point of view, will allow you to get off at the Gulkhan Park stop. From it to the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul, a stone's throw.
You can navigate around the Gulhane Park. He will be on the left hand. Topkapi Palace - on the right and somewhat behind the museum. In that part of the park through which it will be necessary to follow, there are corresponding signs.
Archaeological Museum in Istanbul: opening hours
The complex is open to visitors all days except Monday. When planning an independent trip, it is worth considering the fact that in the morning organized groups of tourists come to inspect the exposition.
Opening hours of the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul: from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. At the same time, the ticket office closes at 16:15, after this time it is impossible to purchase a ticket.
Museum Tickets
There are three ways to purchase a ticket.
- Personally at the box office of the museum. At the time of writing, you need to pay about 7.5 euros.
- Online, through one of the Internet resources involved in their implementation. Moreover, the cost may be different. She, as a rule, is larger than the one requested at the box office. Roughly it is from 8 to 10 euros.
- You can purchase a card at the airport, through the official website or at the box office of one of the museums. This is a kind of entrance ticket to several historical centers of the city, including the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul. It costs 85 Turkish lira, and allows you to inspect a dozen palaces, cathedrals and museum complexes in five days. In addition, on the card you can get a discount on admission to two dozen other attractions.
The latter option allows you to save some money, but if the traveler has enough time and really wants to see all the pearls of Istanbul.
One of the advantages of Turkish museums is the opportunity to visit them for free for children under 12 years old. This means that parents do not need to buy a ticket or a card for their child, but they will need to bring along a document confirming their age.
History of the museum
The museum owes its appearance to the Turkish painter Osman Hamdi-Bey, who was carried away besides the reflection on the canvas of the surrounding world also by archeology. He became the initiator of the construction of the complex, the founder of the collection and the first director.
The construction began in the summer of 1881. A decade after this, the complex first opened its doors to visitors. At the same time, construction work continued until 1907: then wings were added to the main building. And in 1991, a six-story building was added to the main building.
The last reconstruction was partially carried out. Only the part representing the Ancient East was restored. Work was carried out from 1963 to 1974. Already at the end of the 20th century, another pavilion was added to the complex, which was previously considered an independent attraction and has existed since 1472.
Museum complex and core values in the expositions
In fact, a museum is a whole complex consisting of three buildings.
- Central building. This is the largest part of the museum. The entire first floor is occupied by large exhibits related to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. These are tombs and statues in chronological order from different regions. On the second floor there are finds from Troy and those that belong to the most ancient civilizations of Asia Minor. In the collections of about 800 thousand Ottoman coins, almost a hundred thousand books, as well as medals, stamps, jewelry, figurines and many utensils. In the six-story building, the first two floors are reserved for storage, and the rest for thematic exhibitions. There is also a special exposition for schoolchildren.
- Tiled Pavilion. The construction is one integral exposition of ceramics, porcelain, enamels and mosaics of the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. This is about six rooms, where two thousand exhibits are presented.
- Museum of the Ancient East. All the values of this corps date back to pre-Roman times. Many exhibits are of global importance.
Inspecting the collections is a fascinating affair, able to lure visitors into the walls of the complex for at least a full day. Surely not one of them will leave without a photo of the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul or its exhibits.
Core Values in Expositions
The museum has so many artifacts that it can strike any imagination. This is a lot of the oldest sarcophagi and tombs, statues and busts and other specimens related to ancient civilizations.
The most famous:
- Sidon Sarcophagus;
- sarcophagi of mourners, Tabnith, satrap;
- fragments of temple complexes from Pergamum, from Asos;
- statues of Zeus, Cybele;
- artifacts from Troy;
- a calendar from Gezer and much more.
At the end of the 19th century, some of the exhibits of the Military Museum joined the exposition. These are mainly samples of weapons of the XV – XVIII centuries. Moreover, for some of them it is still not possible to establish the owner. Although the samples themselves have enough distinctive features for this. For example, disputes about whose huge sword is kept in the Archaeological Museum of Istanbul are still not ending, although everyone knows the place where it was found. Demonstrates weapons that are heavily adorned with jewelry or made of valuable grades of steel, the secret of which has been lost in time.
Opinion of visitors about the museum
Most reviews of the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul are enthusiastically shocked. The number of exhibits presented is simply phenomenal. This allows you to touch the history every year to more than 450 thousand visitors of all ages.
Many exhibits are of global importance. There are no analogues anywhere else. Moreover, these values belong not only to the history of Turkey itself, but also to many civilizations that today have ceased to exist. These exhibits still allow you to make new discoveries, and attract the attention of many hundreds of scientists.
For most visitors, the day spent in the museum will bring unforgettable impressions and memories. For those who arrived without a group or escort, it is possible to take an audio guide at the entrance as a document or a certain amount of money. There are options in Russian. This will not only enjoy the beauty of the exhibits, but also learn a lot.