Istanbul Archaeology Museums

It may not attract the number of visitors that flock to nearby Topkapı, but this stunning museum complex is already one of the city’s top attractions. It can be easily reached by walking down the slope from Topkapı’s First Court, or by walking up the hill from the main gate of Gülhane Park. The complex is divided into three buildings: the Archaeology Museum (Arkeoloji Müzesi), the Museum of the Ancient Orient (Eski Şark Eserler Müzesi) and the Tiled Pavilion (Çinili Köşk). These museums house the palace collections formed during the late 19th century by museum director, artist and archaeologist Osman Hamdi Bey and added to greatly since the republic. While not immediately as dazzling as Topkapı, they contain a wealth of artefacts from the 50 centuries of Anatolia’s history. Excellent interpretive panels are in both Turkish and English. A board at the entrance lists which of the exhibits are open on the day. The first building on your left as you enter the museum complex is the Museum of the Ancient Orient. Overlooking the park, it was designed by Alexander Vallaury and built in 1883 to house the Academy of Fine Arts. It displays Anatolian pieces (from Hittite empires) as well as pre-Islamic items collected from the expanse of the Ottoman Empire. You can’t miss the series of large glazed-brick panels depicting various animals such as lions and bulls. These beautiful blue-and-yellow panels lined the processional street and the Ishtar gate of ancient Babylon from the time of Nebuchadnezzar II (605–562 BC). Other treats here are the amazing 3rd to 1st century BC alabaster statue heads from Yemen and the oldest surviving political treaty: a copy of the Kadesh Treaty drawn up in the 13th century BC between the Egyptians and Hittites. On the opposite side of the courtyard is the Archaeology Museum, housed in an imposing neoclassical building. The major building in the complex, it features an extensive collection of Hellenic, Hellenistic and Roman statuary and sarcophagi. A Roman statue of Bes, an impish half-god of inexhaustible power and strength who was thought to protect against evil, greets you as you enter the main entrance of the museum. Turn left and walk into the dimly lit rooms beyond, where the museum’s major treasures – sarcophagi from the Royal Necropolis of Sidon and surrounding area – are displayed. These sarcophagi were unearthed in 1887 by Osman Hamdi Bey in Sidon (Side in modern-day Lebanon). As soon as they were discovered, the sarcophagi were swiftly whisked out of the country in a complex operation that involved them being carried on rails laid to the coast and then rafted out to sea, where they were hoisted onto ships and brought to İstanbul. You will see a sarcophagus that is Egyptian in origin; it was later reused by King Tabnit of Sidon. Also here is a beautifully preserved Lycian sarcophagus made from Paros marble dating from the end of the 5th century. It depicts horses, centaurs and human figures with beautifully rendered expressions on their faces. Next to this is the Satrap sarcophagus with its everyday scenes featuring the provincial governor. After admiring these, pass into the next room to see one of the most accomplished of all classical artworks, the famous marble Alexander sarcophagus – so named not because it belonged to the Macedonian general, but because it depicts him among his army battling the Persians (long pants, material headwear), who were led by King Abdalonymos and whose sarcophagus it was. Truly exquisite, it is carved out of Pentelic marble and dates from the last quarter of the 4th century BC. Alexander, on horseback, has a lion’s head as a headdress. Remarkably, the sculpture retains remnants of its original red-and-yellow paintwork. At the end of this room the Mourning Women sarcophagus also bears traces of its original paintwork. Its depiction of the women is stark and very moving. Further on, you’ll find an impressive collection of ancient grave cult sarcophagi from Syria, Lebanon, Thessalonica and Ephesus. Beyond that is a room called ‘The Columned Sarcophagi of Anatolia’, filled with amazingly detailed sarcophagi dating from between 140 and 270 AD. Many of these look like tiny temples or residential buildings; don’t miss the Sidamara Sarcophagus from Konya. Further rooms contain examples of Anatolian architecture from antiquity and Lycian monuments. Turn back and retrace your steps towards the statue of Bes. The underwhelming ‘Anatolia and Troy Through the Ages’ and ‘Neighbouring Cultures of Anatolia, Cyprus, Syria and Palestine’ exhibitions are accessed via a staircase between the rooms housing the Alexander and Satrap sarcophagi; there are also toilets here. Returning to Bes, you should then enter the first of the museum’s statuary galleries. It and the adjacent rooms exhibit a selection of fine works, including a delicate Attic horse’s head. Slightly further in, Alexander makes another appearance – you’ll see heads and a statue from the Hellenistic period. Other works to look out for include the Ephebos of Tralles, a statue of a young athlete wrapped in a cape and leaning against a pillar; the stunning head of the poetess Sappho, a copy of an original from the Hellenistic period; and the exquisite head of a child from Pergamum. Artisans at Anatolia’s three main sculpture centres – Aphrodisias, Ephesus and Miletus – turned out thousands of beautiful works, some of which have been collected in Room 10. There’s a beautiful relief from Aphrodisias showing the struggle of Athena and the Giants, and a statue from Miletus showing Apollo wearing ornate sandals and playing a lyre. The last room has examples of sculpture from throughout the Roman Empire. Check out the delicately carved draperies on the Roman statue of Cornelia Antonia, which dates from the second half of the 2nd century AD. In the annexe behind the cloak room there is an unimpressive mock-up of the facade of the Temple of Athena at Assos (Behramkale). On the mezzanine level above the Temple of Athena is a dusty but interesting exhibition called İstanbul Through the Ages that traces the city’s history through its neighbourhoods during different periods: Archaic, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman. The exhibition continues downstairs, where there is an impressive gallery showcasing Byzantine artefacts and a fascinating exhibit entitled In the Light of Day, which focuses on the archaeological excavations associated with the Marmaray transport project. The section about the excavation of the Byzantine harbour and boats at Yenikapı is particularly interesting. While children will be bored stiff with the naff dioramas of early Anatolian life in the Children’s Museum on the ground floor of the museum, they are likely to enjoy climbing into the large-scale model of the Trojan Horse. The last of the complex’s museum buildings is the Tiled Pavilion ( Çinili Köşk ) of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror. Thought to be the oldest surviving nonreligious Turkish building in İstanbul, it was built in 1472 as an outer pavilion of Topkapı Palace and was used for watching sporting events. The recessed doorway area is covered with tiles – some with white calligraphy ( sülüus ) on blue. The geometric patterns and colour of the tiles – turquoise, white and black – on the facade show obvious Seljuk influence. The portico, with its 14 marble columns, was constructed during the reign of Abdülhamid I (1774–89) after the original one burned down in 1737. On display here is the best collection of Seljuk, Anatolian and Ottoman tiles and ceramics in the country; these date from the end of the 12th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The collection includes İznik tiles from the period between the mid-14th and 17th centuries when that city produced the finest coloured tiles in the world. When you enter the central room you can’t miss the stunning mihrab from the İbrahim Bey Mosque in Karaman, built in 1432. Also of note is the pretty peacock-adorned fountain recessed into the wall in the room to the left at the back of the kiosk; this dates from 1590.