Audio GuideIstanbul Archaeological Museums

Tucked away amid peaceful gardens close to the historic heart of Istanbul, the Istanbul Archaeology Museums invite visitors on a journey through millennia and across continents. First opened toward the end of the nineteenth century, this is Turkey’s oldest museum purpose-built for its collections, taking inspiration from the great museums of Europe. Its origins can be traced back to a time when a group of Ottoman leaders resolved to bring the empire’s treasures together under one roof. In those days, it was known as the Imperial Museum. As the collection expanded, it soon outgrew its original home in an old church. Key figures such as Osman Hamdi Bey—that is, a trailblazing artist and archaeologist—played a crucial role in shaping both the museum and the nation’s approach to the preservation of its past.

Erkan Erten

Today, the museum complex consists of three distinct institutions. The main Archaeology Museum stands in striking neoclassical style, with stone columns that draw inspiration from the temples of antiquity. Across a lush courtyard is the Tiled Kiosk. Commissioned in the fifteenth century by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, its vivid blue tiles showcase early Ottoman design coloured by Persian influences. Meanwhile, the Museum of the Ancient Orient, which began as an academy, now displays artefacts from ancient Anatolian, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian cultures.

Fatih Bonomo

Inside, a calm quiet prevails. Marble corridors guide you past intricately carved sarcophagi depicting scenes of battle and ceremony. The celebrated Alexander Sarcophagus is among them. Nearby, graceful statues and finely detailed reliefs evoke the worlds of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium. Elsewhere, visitors may stop to admire a clay tablet inscribed with the world’s oldest known peace agreement, or look up at the formidable lion statue from the vanished marvels of Halicarnassus.

These treasures hail from lands once united within the Ottoman Empire, weaving together stories from the Balkans to Arabia. By bringing these wonders together, the museum not only safeguards the heritage of Istanbul—that is, once known as Byzantium and Constantinople—but also honours the rich tapestry of cultures that have left their mark on history. Today, the Istanbul Archaeology Museums serve as a bridge between East and West, past and present, offering visitors a unique connection to the shared legacy of humanity.