Gaziantep, Zeugma Mosaics Museum
An excellent reason to travel to Türkiye and on to Gaziantep is the Zeugma Mosaic Museum. One of the largest mosaic museums in the world and certainly among Anatolia’s most important museums, the Zeugma Mosaic Museum exhibits a number of rare artefacts, including early Christian and Syriac pieces, antique church iconography, and Roman-era statuary and fountains. Other highlights include the magnificent, evocative mosaics discovered in the Ancient City of Zeugma – these masterpieces fill a 2,500 square metre area.
Ankara, Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations is housed in two Ottoman buildings in Ulus, Ankara, at the foot of the Ankara Castle. Museum history begins in 1921, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk initiated the establishment of a Hittite Museum. Following extensive research and the collection of artefacts from the country’s most important archaeological sites, the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations was completed in 1968. It was named the 1997 European Museum of the Year and is considered an important destination in Türkiye and one of the most important museums in Anatolia. The museum has halls and exhibits devoted to the Neolithic Age, the Chalcolithic Age, the Early Bronze Age, Assyrian Trade Colonies, the Hittites, the Phrygian Department, the Urartians, and Stone Artefacts.
Baksı Museum, Bayburt
Unquestionably one of the most significant Anatolian museums, the Baksı Museum is situated within the borders of today’s Bayraktar Village. The village, formerly known as Baksı, is on a hill overlooking the Çoruh River, 45 kilometres from Bayburt in the gorgeous eastern Black Sea region. Hundreds of visitors from Türkiye and around the world come to this isolated Anatolian village to see the Baksı Museum, which was established by Hüsamettin Koçan, an academic and artist born in Bayburt. The exhibits include stellar examples of both modern art and traditional handicrafts. The Baksı Museum was the winner of the 2014 Council of Europe Museum Prize. The museum is easily accessible from the Erzurum airport. Check out flights to Erzurum here.
Antalya Archeology Museum
Founded in 1922 with the aim of gathering and preserving World War I artefacts, the Antalya Archeology Museum is not just one of Anatolia’s most important museums, but a significant Turkish museum that is appreciated worldwide. With 14 display halls, open-air galleries, and a lovely garden on a vast 30,000 square metre area, the museum is particularly notable for its Roman-era relics from Perge as well as intriguing items unearthed during museum salvage excavations. In 1988, the Antalya Archeology Museum was named the European Council Museum of the Year. The museum is one of the most popular museums in Anatolia and is easily accessible from the Antalya airport. You can book Antalya flight tickets here.
Mevlâna Museum, Konya
This graceful compound houses the former Mevlana Dervish Lodge and the tomb of Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi, as well as that of his father, Bahaeddin Veled (whose burial place was the former rose garden of Seljuk sultan). The Mevlâna Museum, visited by thousands of people each year, first welcomed tourists in 1926 as the Konya Asar-ı Atika Museum and was renamed in 1954. Covering an area of 18,000 square meters, the museum also features the works of Mevlana and Mevlevi, as well as precious manuscripts, musical instruments and other items. You can buy a ticket to Konya to visit the Mevlâna Museum, one of Türkiye’s most important destinations.
Museum of the Republic, Ankara
The Second Grand National Assembly of Türkiye building — which has a crucial role in Turkish political history — welcomes visitors of all ages as the Museum of the Republic. Considered among the most significant museums in Anatolia today, the former General Assembly Hall was in service until 1960. As the place where Atatürk’s principles and revolutions were realized, laws were adopted, and historic treaties were signed, it has a momentous history. It is also where Atatürk, in the course of six days, read the Great Speech for a total of 36 hours and 33 minutes. The Museum of the Republic is in Ulus, Ankara.
Historical Sinop Prison
The bastions of Sinop’s inner fortress, erected during the Anatolian Seljuk period, were used as a dungeon in 1560, and the prison was built in 1882. The Historical Prison, decommissioned and transformed into a museum in 1996, was once known as the “Alcatraz of Anatolia”. It has been the subject of numerous songs and poems and was where prominent persons such as Refik Halit Karay and Sabahattin Ali were imprisoned. The structure, divided into three sections by high courtyard walls, also comprises 28 wards and workshops.
İzmir Ephesus Museum
The Ephesus Museum in İzmir displays artefacts excavated at Ephesus and the surrounding areas. Halls highlighting the Mycenaean, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods, are displayed in chronological order. Two large sculptures of Artemis, the head of Eros, and the head of Socrates are among the museum’s most notable pieces. You can book a ticket to Izmir to visit this outstanding museum, an important museum in Anatolia.
Hatay Archeology Museum
The Hatay Archaeology Museum, one of Türkiye’s largest mosaic museums, moved into its current quarters in Antakya, in 2014. The museum displays a remarkable 3,250 square metres of mosaics. In addition, artefacts from the Paleolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Hittite, Hellenistic, Roman, Eastern Roman, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods are exhibited, virtually reflecting the beauty of the surrounding geography. If you wish to visit this gorgeous region and the Hatay Archaeology Museum, you can book a ticket to Hatay.
