Istanbul archaeology museum is located in the Eminonu district of Istanbul, near Gulhane Park and Topkapi Palace. The complex consists of three main buildings. The first building on the left is the Museum of the Ancient Orient. It presents Anatolian pieces from the Hittite empires and pre-Islamic objects collected in the Ottoman Empire.
The main building of Istanbul archaeology museum was built by Osman Hamdi Bey in 1881. The architect was Alexander Vallaury. The facade of the building was inspired by the Alexander sarcophagus and the Mourning Women sarcophagus, both located inside the museum. A Roman statue of the god Bes welcomes you. The extremely ornate Alexander sarcophagus, once believed to be prepared for Alexander the Great, is one of the museum’s most famous pieces of ancient art. Another favorite among visitors is the Kadesh Peace Treaty (1258 BC), signed between Ramses II of Egypt and Hattusili III of the Hittite Empire. It is the oldest known peace treaty in the world.
Istanbul archaeology museum has a fantastic collection of Greek, Hellenistic and Roman artifacts. The most important artifacts on display in the museum include: Alexander Sarcophagus, found in the necropolis of Sidon. Sarcophagus of Weeping Women, also found in Sidon. Sarcophagi of Tabnit and the satrap. The Lycian tomb, a monumental tomb. Statues from Antiquity to the end of Roman times, of Aphrodisias, Ephesus and Miletus. Statue of an Ephebos.
Parts of statues from the Temple of Zeus found in Bergama. Statue of a lion, the only piece saved from the hands of British archaeologists in the mausoleum of Maussollos. Serpentine head of the serpentine column erected at the racecourse.
Mother-goddess Cybeles. Busts of Alexander the Great and Zeus. Fragments of the temple of Athena in Assos. The Trojan exhibition. 800,000 Ottoman coins, stamps, decorations and medals. One of the three known tablets of the Treaty of Kadesh. The obelisk of the Assyrian king Adad-nirari III.
Archive of tablets containing some 75,000 documents with cuneiform inscriptions. Artifacts from the early civilizations of Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Arabia and Egypt. Siloam inscription.
The last of the complex of Istanbul archaeology museum is the Sultan Mehmet Conqueror tile kiosk. It was built in 1472 as the outer pavilion of Topkapi Palace.
