Best 18 Things to See in Istanbul Archaeology Museums

A trip to Istanbul Archaeology Museums, which was established in 1891, is vital for anyone wanting to discover the old background of the city, as it’s one of the best museums of Istanbul . The museum symbolizes a lot of aspects of Istanbul’s past and provides visitors with a good way to discover the events of ancient times through its special exhibits. It is one of the best things to do in Istanbul during your journey.

Exploring the museum has its benefits in terms of joy and fun, but it also proves to be a great learning experience. It is estimated that the museum houses around 1000000 objects on display in its multiple sections, which allow visitors to gain knowledge of the featured exhibits.

Begin your trip at Istanbul Archaeology Museums by walking around its many interesting sections where you’ll have the opportunity to explore numerous wonderful historical exhibitions through one of the guided tours where you’ll be led by a collection of knowledgeable tour guides that will offer you all of the information you require about the different exhibits
and in addition to that you can also find audio guides which are available in a number of languages in the museum as well.

While you walk around the museum, you can take photos of only some items or corners and sculpt this learning experience to last eternally making it just amusing even after you have done it.

During the tour, you will have an opportunity to explore the collection of works of art dating back to contemporary history, the early middle ages, the late middle ages, ancient history, and prehistory, all these pieces will be available for you to discover.

The Istanbul Archaeology Museums is a great destination to watch exhibitions and displays from a large collection of ancient civilizations, including the ruins of Mesopotamia, the Assyrian, and the Pharaonic civilization. You will also be able to see various types of mummies there. It’s simply an astonishing opportunity for you to watch some truly remarkable and unique pieces.

And the numerous interesting exhibits and galleries of this museum are not confined to one specific civilization but rather include a number of ancient civilizations such as Byzantine civilization, Greek civilization, Roman civilization, and Persian civilization.

A very impressive corner inside the museum is dedicated mainly to giving you the floor to identify the Ottoman Empire. Are you keen to discover? At this corner, you will have a good background to understand that era of history and how its wonderful heritage had been till today such a remarkable one.

And of course, religion has played a vital role in the history of the world which is why we suggest that you pass through the part of the museum where you’ll be able to find a collection of exhibitions that belong to the Christian religion.

Following that, you’ll have an amazing chance to get to know more about the Islamic civilization by watching a collection of fascinating exhibitions that will provide you with lots of details about the Islamic religion.

Let’s move now to the most delightful corner of Istanbul Archaeology Museums. It’s a corner that is primarily designed for maritime-related exhibits. Don’t deprive yourself of checking out the exhibitions and galleries in this particular corner as it has some exhibits taken from the sealike: navigation tools.

Next, a whole section has been devoted to the military side of the country which will provide you with an amazing chance to explore the war history of this country that’s showcased in such an interesting way through watching a number of valuable exhibitions such as swords and daggers.

And for a change of scenery, we invite you to check out one of the most attractive sections of Istanbul Archaeology Museums that will be a joy to explore because it contains a superb collection of artistic relics such as Islamic art, art artifacts, ancient architecture, paint art, mosaic, folk art, and fine arts.

Afterward, it will be a great choice to swing by the section of the museum that’s allocated to demonstrating and explaining the esteemed history of the country through a collection of interesting exhibits, such as fascinating models of old graves, and collectibles that belonged to ancient rulers and mausoleums.

Between the past and the present, there is a long history during which the country passed through many stages that deserved to be perpetuated in Istanbul Archaeology Museums, as there are exhibits that display the past and present achievements of the country and on top of that you can also find remarkable models of old forts and ancient castles.

And after some time of touring Istanbul Archaeology Museums, you’ll start to contemplate questions of how the ancient residents used to live and you’ll be glad to know you’ll have the possibility to see a collection of exhibits that reflect their local history and daily life details, like models of traditional homes, old agricultural tools, traditional wear, old furniture, house stuff, old transport carts, jewelry, and old coins.

And to get even further into the culture of the ancient residents, we advise you to check out the handicraft area where you’ll have the opportunity to find a varied collection of amazing handicraft works such as metal crafts, bronze utensils, ceramic artifacts, old carpets, clay pots, inscriptions decorations and glass crafts.

Your visit isn’t done yet because, in addition to all of the numerous exhibits previously mentioned, Istanbul Archaeology Museums still has a lot to offer for its visitors through a number of other special exhibitions such as archaeological excavations, sculptures, old maps, and rare manuscripts.

Next, we suggest that you drop by the unique exhibitions section of the museum where you’ll be able to spend a wonderful time discovering a collection of unique exhibits that are exclusive to this place such as Glazed Brick Panel From Ishtar Gate, The Alexander Sarcophagus and The Egyptian Hittite Peace Treaty.

And what makes this museum even more special is that it always contains something new that visitors haven’t watched before because you can find a collection of temporary exhibitions from time to time as well as a number of delightful events that are held in the museum all year long.

Services and Restaurants

Istanbul Archaeology Museums provides its visitors with a collection of important services and facilities that will make your time easier and more interesting such as parking, a cafe, a mosque, a gift shop, public toilets, a restaurant, and a park.

Archaeology Museums Entry Fee

For adults 75 TRY

Opening hours

Every day: 09:00 – 19:00

Attractions near Istanbul Archaeology Museums

While you are at the museum, never miss passing through some great nearby attractions such as Hagia Sophia Istanbul, 262 M away. It is highly recommended and Topkapi Palace Museum Istanbul, that’s 330 M away.

643 M away from the museum, one of the best hotels is Orka Royal Hotel Istanbul, whose reputation is renowned to be very good due to the great services the hotel offers. It is good to mention, the attractive views from the hotel make it one of the top 4-star hotels in Istanbul.

Yasmak Sultan Hotel Istanbul is one of the finest hotels in Istanbul that’s approximate to the museum with a distance of 256 M which is also famous for its perfect location as well as offering great services and it should also be pointed out that this hotel is recognized as one of the top 4-star hotels in Istanbul and has high reviews from previous guests.