Aydın Archaeological Museum

Established in 1959 in a single room of Zafer Primary School, the Aydın Museum initially carried out its activities in this limited space for many years. After 1973, museum services were transferred to the newly constructed museum building, where they continue today. Over time, the Aydın Archaeology and Ethnography Museum has developed rich collections with artifacts gathered from Aydın city center and its surrounding districts.

The museum is located within a spacious garden, where stone artifacts from ancient cities within the borders of Aydın Province—such as Tralleis, Magnesia, Alinda, Alabanda, Nysa, Amyzon, Piginda, Harpasa, Myus, Pygela, Orthosia, Mastaura, and others—are displayed. These outdoor exhibits include statues, sarcophagi, columns and column capitals, altars, grave steles, Islamic gravestones, milestone markers, inscribed and relief-covered steles, and various architectural elements.

Inside the museum, exhibits are arranged in three main sections:

1. Archaeology Section
2. Coin Section
3. Ethnographic Artifacts Section

Archaeology Section

Artifacts in this section are displayed in chronological order. Alongside prehistoric items, the museum showcases remarkable examples from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods. Among the objects are hand axes, cutting and piercing tools, idols, spindle whorls, terracotta pottery, oil lamps, masks and figurines, glass objects, jewelry made of gold, silver, and bronze, medical tools, cosmetic items, and weapons.

Some of the finest examples of Hellenistic sculpture from ancient Tralleis—including a bust of Athena, statues of Nike and Satyr, as well as various other statues and reliefs—decorate the archaeology halls. Rescue excavations conducted in the necropolis of Tralleis have also yielded a significant special collection of terracotta artifacts, oil lamps, unguentaria, and toy figurines.

Coin Section

This section displays gold, silver, copper, and bronze coins from a range of historical periods, including Greek, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman eras.

Ethnography Section

The ethnography section highlights the region’s rich traditions in folk art. Exhibits include carpets, kilims, cicim and sumak weavings, traditional efe costumes, embroidered women’s garments, decorative headscarves, and a variety of silver jewelry such as headdresses, belts, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings.

Other items include hammam sets, handwritten Qur’ans and manuscripts, cigarette holders, hookahs, and copper kitchenware such as bowls, trays, ladles, ewers, tiffin boxes, cauldrons, and large serving trays. Wooden objects—such as mortars, coffee grinders, coffee coolers, and clogs—are also displayed, alongside weapons including swords, daggers, flintlock rifles, and pistols.