Antalya Archaeological Museum

Home to the magnificent sculptures unearthed in the ancient city of Perge—masterpieces that often steal the spotlight from other artifacts—the Antalya Museum presents a sweeping journey from the Lower Paleolithic Age to the Roman Period. Dedicated to the three major ancient Mediterranean civilizations that once thrived within today’s Antalya borders—Lycia, Pamphylia, and Pisidia—the museum was founded in 1922 by teacher Süleyman Fikri Erten in the Alaeddin Mosque in Kaleiçi. After operating in the Yivli Minare complex from 1937 onwards, it moved into its current 30,000-square-meter building in 1972.

The Antalya Museum received the European Council Special Prize in 1988 and earned Certificates of Excellence in 2012, 2014, and 2015.

Consisting of 13 exhibition halls and an outdoor display area, the museum’s archaeological collections derive mainly from systematic excavations conducted in the region by Turkish and international scholars, while the ethnographic items were collected locally by museum specialists.

The exhibition begins with finds from the Karain Cave, a site of major significance not only for Anatolia but also for Near Eastern Paleolithic studies. From there, it continues chronologically with artifacts from Bademağacı, Karataş–Semayük, Bayındır Tumuli, Hacımusalar, Limyra, Patara, Xanthos, Arykanda, St. Nicholas Church, Perge, and museum rescue excavations, culminating in examples reflecting the region’s more recent cultural heritage.

A Journey from Prehistory to Ottoman CultureAmong the highlights are the natural history and prehistory collections, statues of gods and emperors, funerary artifacts, coins, mosaics, and icons. The museum is also responsible for numerous rescue excavations and site conservation projects in the Antalya region. While a large portion of the archaeological collection comes directly from surrounding excavations, the extensive ethnographic collection—rich in Ottoman cultural material—was gathered from local communities.

Some of the museum’s most intriguing corners include:

• A pot burial in the Prehistory Hall,
• 7th-century BCE finds from the Elmalı–Bayındır Tumuli showcased at the center of the Excavations Hall,
• The striking black-and-white marble dancer statue in the Emperors Hall,
• A Rock-cut tomb from Patara on the lower floor of the new building,
• The Coin Hoard and Korydella Treasures displayed on the upper level.

The Ethnography Section features Aspendos tiles, a Seljuk Qur’an, calligraphic panels such as hilye, naat, and icazet, dervish lodge objects, weighing instruments, examples of Döşemealtı carpets, and a 15th-century Uşak carpet. This section also includes reconstructions of scenes from Yörük (nomadic) life and rooms from a modest traditional Antalya house—its sitting room, bedroom, and bath.

The exhibition concludes with a commemorative display featuring the typewriter, calculator, and the first official seal of Süleyman Fikri Erten, the founder of the museum.

Galleries of the Antalya Museum

Natural History and Prehistory Hall

Displays fossils dating from the First to the Fourth Geological Ages, along with artifacts from the Lower Paleolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Early Bronze Age excavations at Karain, Hacılar, Bademağacı, and Karataş–Semayük.

Ceramics Hall

Exhibits the chronological development of ceramics from the Geometric Period (10th century BCE) to the Byzantine Period (13th century CE), entirely from regional excavations.

Regional Excavations Hall

Showcases new discoveries from 26 excavation sites supervised by the museum, including those carried out by universities and other institutions.

Emperors Hall

Features impressive sculptures of Roman emperors Trajan, Hadrian, and Septimius Severus—all unearthed in Perge and known to be special productions of the renowned Perge workshops.

Gods Hall

Displays statues found in Perge, mostly Roman-period copies of earlier Hellenistic originals.

Mosaic Hall

Among its highlights is the “Philosophers Mosaic” from the agora of Pamphylian Seleukeia, whose borders depict celebrated mathematicians, orators, and philosophers of antiquity.

Marble Portraits Hall

Features male and female portrait heads from the 2nd-century Roman period, some idealized and others strikingly individualized.

Perge Theatre Hall

All artifacts here were found in front of the Perge Theatre’s stage building, which collapsed during an earthquake. After two years of restoration, they are now on display.

Sarcophagi Hall

The first section contains sarcophagi of various types, mostly from the Perge necropolis and produced locally using Proconnesian and Dokimeion marble in the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE.
The second section includes an example of a subterranean rock-cut tomb from Patara, along with tomb and sarcophagus fragments from Patara, Limyra, and other ancient sites.

Underwater – Small Finds – Icons – Coins Hall

This hall presents coins chronologically from production techniques to city coins of the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, European, Beylik, and Ottoman periods. Other displays include underwater finds, figurines, jewelry, hoards, bullae, and 19th-century icons, as well as a case containing several relics associated with St. Nicholas.

Recent Developments

On 20 March 2025, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism decided to demolish the museum building, following a 2020 seismic performance report. The decision sparked public debate and objections. The museum closed to visitors on 16 July 2025, and artifacts were transferred to containers placed in the museum garden.
The building was completely demolished in September 2025. The General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums announced plans to construct a new museum on the same site, aiming for completion by late 2026.