Afyonkarahisar Museum

Serving as a combined Archaeology and Ethnography Museum between 1933 and 1970 within the historic Taş Medrese, the Afyonkarahisar Museum moved to its second building in 1971 and was finally relocated to its current modern facility in 2023.
Spread across five exhibition floors, the museum presents a rich chronological journey through the Chalcolithic, Bronze, Hittite, Phrygian, Lydian, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, Ottoman, and Early Republican periods.Ceramics, terracotta pieces, stone and marble works, bone artifacts, glassware, metal vessels, sculptures, and coins offer important insights into the region’s daily life, beliefs, production, and trade from as early as 3000 BCE to the present. Due to the region’s long-standing marble industry, the museum also features an extensive collection of marble sculptures, sarcophagi, tombstones, and architectural elements. The rich exhibition design is supported with reconstructions, realistic mannequins, and multimedia presentations.
The 5th floor of the museum is dedicated entirely to the Turkish War of Independence.
In the museum garden, visitors can explore Roman and Byzantine steles, sarcophagi, jars, sculptures, as well as Ottoman-era tombstones.

Highlights from the Afyonkarahisar Museum Collection

Apameia Sarcophagus

Discovered during foundation excavations of the state hospital in the Dinar district, this late 2nd-century CE sarcophagus is carved from fine-grained white Docimeium (İscehisar) marble.
Attributed to Docimeium craftsmen, the garlanded sarcophagus features Nikai on its corners and Medusa heads on both narrow sides. One long side depicts Erotes carrying festoons, along with a dynamic scene showing Achilles and the Amazon queen Penthesileia, as well as portrait busts believed to represent the sarcophagus owners.
The opposite long side depicts another group of Erotes carrying garlands and, between them, the mythological meeting of Perseus and Andromeda. The roof-like lid features a shield within the pediment, corner acroteria, and lion-head spouts on the sides.

Figurine-Head Jug

A rare ceremonial vessel from the Early Bronze Age, this handmade jug has a round body, round base, red slip, a slightly beaked mouth, and a single handle.

Artemis Statuette

A votive statuette of Artemis standing upon a base, holding an arrow in her right hand and a bow in her left. She is accompanied by a headless dog figure, and the base bears a two-line dedicatory inscription.

Synnada Coin

A bronze coin from Synnada (after 133 BCE).
The obverse shows a laureate head of Zeus; the reverse depicts two Dioscuri caps (pileus) topped with a star, flanked by poppy and wheat motifs.

Çavdarlı–Kovalık Höyük Sculpture Group

This unique group of 71 votive artifacts includes 37 statues and statuettes, 13 sculpture fragments, 9 votive stelae, 2 altars, 2 busts, 6 statue heads, and 2 animal figures ranging from 29 cm to 110 cm in height.
The assemblage features a wide pantheon of gods and goddesses such as Apollo, Zeus, Cybele, Artemis, Nike, Men, Eros, Asklepios, Hygeia, Leto, Tyche, Aphrodite, Heracles, and even the legendary King Midas.
Dating to the late 2nd century CE, the group is considered a unique example in the world in terms of its quantity and diversity. The recently repatriated Kybele statue also belongs to this group.