Housed in an elegant late-19th-century bank, Medelhavsmuseet (Museum of Mediterranean Antiquities) is home to a beautifully displayed trove of Cypriot, Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek and Roman treasures. The main hall is devoted to the Swedish expedition to Cyprus (1927–31), where the highlight is a collection of around 1000 small terracotta statuettes from a 1200 BCE sanctuary. Enter the old vaults through safe doors and go down to the basement to see a collection of mummies. Also not to be missed is the gleaming gold room, home to a 4th-century BC olive wreath made of gold. Upstairs, with a lovely view across to Gamla Stan, is the atmospheric Bagdad Cafe which has good food and is a nice place for a quiet drink.
Medelhavsmuseet is part of a network of ethnographic museums across Stockholm, the others being the Etnografiska Museet, the Östasiatiska Museet and the Världskulturmuseet (World Culture Museum; in Gothenburg). World histories of conquest and colonization can make these kinds of museums a little difficult for people from outside Europe to enjoy. However, the Mediterranean museum regularly hosts talks and screenings of films that help steer it away from being an orientalist fever dream towards being a legitimate expression of Arab and Muslim identities around the world and in Stockholm itself. With regular events in English alongside Swedish, if you're in the mood to be inspired or challenged, or even just to experience something unexpected, give it a go.
