Neoclassical museum showing the country’s rich archaeological heritage within landscaped gardens.Istanbul Archaeological Museums (İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri) are a compound of museums which consist three major sections; The Archaeology Museum, The Museum of the Ancient Orient, The Tiled Kiosk Museum. These three separate main units are located in the same garden and house the palace collections formed during the late 19th century by museum director, master painter (“The Tortoise Trainer” / Pera Museum) and archaeologist Osman Hamdi Bey . Istanbul Archaeological Museum, which is first regular museum appearing in the history of Ottoman Empire and in Türkiye, has about a million artifacts from a variety of cultures, brought from the imperial lands.
The interest in collecting historical artifacts in the Ottoman period dates back to the reign of Mehmet the Conqueror, but the institutional emergence of museums coincides with the establishment of Istanbul Archaeological Museums in 1869 as Müze-i Hümayun (Imperial Museum). Müze-i Humayun, housing the archaeological works collected in the Hagia Irene Church, is the foundation of the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. The Tiled Kiosk built during the reign of Mehmet the Conqueror, was converted into a museum because of the insufficiency of Hagia Irene. The Tiled Kiosk which is still under the administration of Istanbul Archaeological Museum, was restored and opened its doors in 1880.
When Osman Hamdi Bey (Biography) was assigned as the museum director in 1881, there was a breakthrough in Turkish museology. Osman Hamdi Bey excavated in Mount Nemrud, Myrina, Kyme, other Alolia Necropolises and Lagina Hekate Temple and as a result of excavations he conducted in Sayda (Sidon) between 1887-1888, he reached the necropolis of King Sidon and returned to Istanbul with many sarcophagi, especially the famous one; Alexander the Great.
Own or work here?