The best museums Aegean Coast

It is very crowded but you will not regret visiting this museum which houses a fascinating collection of recent finds from the site of Ephesus presented in a thematic order. In room I, effigies of the phallic gods Bes and Priape, interesting miniatures, and a magnificent statuette of Eros on a dolphin. In room II, statues illustrating the adventure of Ulysses and the Cyclops Polyphemus. In room V, the marbles of Artemis, originally a mother goddess.

The building of the Izmir Archaeological Museum is built on three levels. In the basement and on the ground floor, you will discover some sarcophagi, bas-reliefs and beautiful statues. Also some Roman busts and marble statues from Ephesus. On the first floor are exposed the terracotta objects of the archaic period, jewels, seals and glassware. For lovers of antique remains, this museum can be worth a visit, it concentrates architectural elements of the ancient sites of the Aegean coast, such as the famous Ephesus, Pergamon or Millet.

Housed in a beautiful old building that originally served as a hospital, the small ethnographic museum provides information (unfortunately not enough) on the traditional architecture of Izmir, daily life and customs of the region. Beautiful sculptures. Not to be missed: the Ottoman pharmacy and the bridal room. This is also an opportunity to discover the Zeibeks, a tribe from the vicinity of Izmir, whom Descamps depicted with high conical turbans, huge belts and curved swords, the famous yatağan.

The city of Aphrodisias was destroyed in the 4th century. The museum includes the ancient site itself (from the 3rd century BC) and the marble quarries located to the north-east of the city. It was these quarries that gave the city of Aphrodisias its prosperity. The place is interesting especially for its ancient statues. Indeed, the famous school of the city produced for a long time effigies of quality for many Roman cities. Steles, tombs, coins and many other objects found on the site are also exposed.

St. Peter's Castle is the headquarters of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, founded by G. Bass in 1973. The finds of divers during excavations of wrecks, including the 3,400-year-old wreck east of Kaş, are displayed there. Every part of the castle is used to display the objects or stage reconstructions. The Gothic chapel of the Hospitallers, houses a fragment of the frieze of the mausoleum. The visit of the castle is a superb walk in its enclosure.

The archaeological museum exhibits a model of the sanctuary of Zeus as it originally was. This life-size reproduction of the original, which is now in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, is worth a visit. Also, a beautiful collection of Roman and Byzantine architectural elements as well as funerary steles. It is recommended to visit it before your visit to the acropolis. Beautiful collection of statues. Finally, an ethnographic gallery, testimony of the habits and customs and the craft industry at the time of the Ottomans. Tea room next to the museum.