The best museums Turkey

History. The Istanbul Modern project began in 1987 with the first international exhibition of contemporary art, now known as the Istanbul International Biennale. In 2003, the 4th warehouse on the Galata pier, near the Mimar Sinan Academy of Fine Arts, hosted the 8th Istanbul Biennale and attracted attention. After Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the then Prime Minister, had given his approval for the reassignment of the site, the dry goods warehouse belonging to the Turkish Maritime Organisation was transformed into a temple of modern art.

Visit. While waiting for the end of the construction of the new Karaköy building, the museum is temporarily located at Beyoğlu The central staircase from the ground floor, with a video room and a photo exhibition, provides access to the first floor painting collections. The latter, most of which are private, include paintings by Turkish artists inspired by the Western style. The collections are changing to achieve a resolutely modern style. Upstairs, visitors are invited to have a drink in a café with a superb view of the Bosphorus. It is also possible to eat there, as the evening menu is much more elaborate and therefore more expensive. In the museum area you will find many welcoming terraces to drink tea after your visit. A museum not to be missed!

This museum is located in the heart of the historic city, a few steps from the old covered market. What makes it unique is that it was built in such a way as to directly integrate the mosaic pavements discovered in the courtyard of the former Byzantine Grand Palais. This complex would be one of the most important preserved today. The quality of these remains, dated from 450 to 550, is remarkable. The subjects covered concern daily life, nature or mythology.

Located in the garden of the Topkapı Palace, this museum is highly recommended for archaeology lovers. Several renovations have been made to enhance some of the museum's pieces. When we learn that the museum was awarded a prize by the Council of Europe in 1991 for the centenary of its foundation, we are not surprised. The neoclassical style of the museum was built by the architect Alexandre Vallauri, the son of a French pastry chef, in 1881 at the request of Osman Hamdi Bey, the father of Turkish museology. It opened its doors under the name "Müze-i Hümayun" (Imperial Museum) in 1891. It is said that the architect was inspired by the sarcophagi of Alexander the Great and the Weeping Women to give the façade the silhouette we know today. Expanded several times, it contains a large collection of pieces amassed from the four corners of the empire, more than a million objects representing almost all eras and civilizations.

Main building. It rises on two levels. Impressive, the first level is that of the sarcophagi and statues. The first pieces on display come from the royal necropolis of Sidon (Lebanon): sarcophagi of the family of King Tabnit, sarcophagus of the Mourners, sarcophagus of Lycian, sarcophagus of the Satrape, considered a masterpiece of Ionian art... the major piece is the so-called Alexander sarcophagus, dating back to the 4th century BCC. Representing scenes of battle between the Macedonians and the Persians, one had believed to find (finally) the tomb of Alexander the Great (Alexander III of Macedonia). It turned out that it was in fact that of Abdalonymos, friend and king of Sidon enthroned by Alexander, but the name remained. The sarcophagus of Meleager is equally impressive. There follow sections with busts, including those of Hermes, Emperors Constantine I the Great and Marcus Aurelius, statues and statuettes including those of Emperors Hadrian and Augustus, Alexander the Great, Zeus, Poseidon, Artemis and Apollo, and bas-reliefs. Among the beautiful sculptures, one can admire the one of the ephebe of Tabnit, king of Sidon. On the first floor are exhibited works in carved or sculpted stone giving an idea of the daily life in Antiquity: Anatolian gourds and jugs from the ancient Bronze Age, clay statuettes from ancient Ionia, red-figured vases from the^5th and 6th centuries, coins, seals, medals... There is also a library containing more than 70,000 books.

Secondary building. Here, the four levels are reserved for thematic exhibitions. We start with Istanbul through the ages, including a section on Thrace and Bithynia. This is followed by Anatolia and Troy, Cyprus and the Middle East (Syria-Palestine).

Museum of Ancient Oriental Works (Eski Şark Eserleri Müzesi). It is in fact a wing of the museum to which it belongs. Located just to the left, the building was built in 1883, also on the initiative of Osman Hamdi Bey to become the School of Fine Arts (Sanayi-ı Nefise). It was later turned into a museum and was completely renovated in 1974. Works from Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Egypt and Arabia are displayed on the first floor. There are also objects from Sumerian and Akkadian cultures. The tablets of the Treaty of Kadesh (1269 B.C.), the oldest historical document relating to the sealing of an agreement between Hittites and Egyptians, the colossal statue of a Neohittite king discovered at the site of Zincirli, and the stele of the Akkadian king Naram-Sin are among the unique works of art in the museum. Also worth seeing are the glazed brick reliefs depicting bulls and snake-headed dragons from the Ishtar Gate in Babylon, from which the famous processional route decorated with lions started. This is one of the eight gates of the city, representing various real or imaginary animals. The museum also has important archives, including more than 75,000 cuneiform tablets.

Earthenware Kiosk (Çinili Köşk). Built in 1472 under Mehmed II the Conqueror, much older than the other two buildings in the museum, it was originally designed as a pavilion for the sultan's relaxation in the Topkapı Palace compound. It is one of the earliest examples of Ottoman civil architecture in Istanbul. Mehmed II had three kiosks built in the palace gardens in three different styles - Persian, Greek and Turkish - symbolizing the three worlds of which he was now the master. The Tiled Kiosk, built in the Persian style, is the only one that remains today. Its decoration was entrusted to master ceramists from Khorasan, who used monochrome techniques in the Timurid tradition. It was from this pavilion that the Sultan watched his pages play djirit, the ancestor of polo. The Earthenware Kiosk was refurbished and attached to the Istanbul Archaeological Museum in 1981, and now displays an outstanding collection of Iznik and Kanakkale ceramics, as well as Seljuk works. The museum has over 2,000 pieces. The façade of the pavilion, with its marble portico supported by 14 columns and its gallery covered with ceramic tiles, is worth a visit. But the building itself is interesting.

The museum is in fact a valley of about thirty churches with magnificent frescos (^10th and ^11th centuries) and monasteries. The churches bear the names that people gave them in the region.

The Church of the Loop (Tokalı Kilise). It is the largest and most beautiful rock church in the region. It is divided into two parts, the old and the new. The frescoes of the old church (^10th century) represent scenes from the life of Christ in a primitive style. The murals of the new church, on a beautiful blue background (late ^10th and early ^11th century), are of great artistic value. Their long figures are among the masterpieces of Byzantine art.

The Apple Church (Elmalı Kilise). Its name is said to come from a beautifully preserved fresco of the Archangel Gabriel holding an apple. It has four columns. One can distinguish the Crucifixion, the Resurrection of Lazarus and the Deisis. On the central dome, Christ.

Saint Barbara (Azize Barbara kilese). Carved into the rock, it has a cross-shaped plan and two columns. Here, the painters favored red and ochre for the figures and motifs in a naïve style, such as the rooster symbolizing the denial of St. Peter, strange insects, sometimes interpreted as the devil, and stylized cypress trees. There is also a representation of Saint Barbara, the horsemen George and Theodore, and Mary.

The Church of the Serpent (Yılanlı Kilise). The church owes its name to the fresco depicting St. George and St. Theodore slaying the dragon. Note the painting of St. Basil and St. Thomas next to St. Onophrios provided with female breasts and a beard. Next to it is a refectory with a double apse. The seat dug into the wall was reserved for the superior of the convent. Also the kitchen and the cellar are adjacent.

The Dark Church (Karanlık Kilise). Its only window does not allow light to illuminate it, which is probably the reason for the excellent state of preservation of its frescoes. On the dome, Christ Pantocrator, on the narthex, a magnificent Ascension. The paintings represent the birth of Christ and his crucifixion.

At the bottom of the rock , another church, unnamed, decorated with a cross pattern of five circles, unique in the region.

The Sandal Church (Çarıklı Kilise). According to popular belief, it was a sandal track marking the passage of Christ, opposite the entrance, that inspired this strange name.

The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations is a must-see in the Turkish capital and ranks among the most beautiful museums in the country. The rich collections on display are the perfect introduction to Turkey's turbulent history. Housed in two Ottoman buildings, a bedesten (covered market) built by the vizier Mahmut Paşa in 1471 and the Kurşunlu Han caravanserai, this formidable museum, unique in its rare collections, allows you to follow the different civilizations present in Turkey from the Paleolithic to the Roman era.

The most fascinating finds concern the Neolithic and Hittite periods. The objects are arranged in chronological order. To understand the explanations, a good command of English or the purchase of a guidebook is essential! After the Paleolithic fossils, you arrive at the showcases of the remains discovered at Çatal Höyük (6500-5700 BC). A dwelling is reconstructed here with its wall paintings. The tools show the development of agriculture, but more interesting are the terracotta statuettes of generously proportioned women representing the Great Mother Goddess of Hacılar, a symbol of fertility. Similar figurines have been unearthed in the Greek Cyclades. You then move on to the Chalcolithic period (5500-3000 BC), with the first copper tools and utensils found in Hacılar and Alacahöyük.

The manufacture of metal objects diversified during the Early Bronze Period (3000-1950 BC). The objects exhibited here, beautiful jewelry, sun discs, and electrum animals, were found in Alacahöyük, the capital of the Hattis. In the section devoted to the period of the Assyrian colonies (1950-1750 BC), superb animal-shaped libation vessels are displayed. The Assyrian merchants contributed greatly to the development of the Anatolian civilization by introducing, among other things, writing. Then comes the collection of the Hittite Empire (1750-1200 BC), with tablets with cuneiform writing and exceptional pottery, which complement some visits to Cappadocia, and finally, the Phrygian period (1200-700 BC) and Urartian (1200-700 BC). The Urartes were the main opponents of the Phrygians.

The central part of the museum, devoted to Hittite sculpture, presents friezes inspired by military epics and monumental statues.

Main point of interest of Konya, the monastery was until 1927 (date of the prohibition of the brotherhood), the place of residence of the whirling dervishes, the mevlevis, a Sufi order inspired by the Persian mystic poetDjalâl ad-Dîn Rûmî, called Mevlana. The tekke of Mevlana consists of a large courtyard with a fountain (16th century) and 4 türbe on the left after the door, the building of the cells where the dervishes, after an obligatory period of manual labor could devote themselves to prayer facing the entrance the building where the tomb and the museum of Mevlana are located and, to the right of the entrance, the old kitchens. The convent was restored by Beyazıt II in the 15th century. To enter the türbe where the great sage is buried, one must remove his shoes. Women will cover their heads. The tomb is covered with a velvet cloth embroidered with gold.

In the samâ (ceremony room), you can admire a collection of musical instruments, including the famous ney (flute), with the plaintive sound so characteristic of the ritual music of the dervishes. You can also see the original manuscript of Mathnawi, the poems of the master. The next room, an ancient mosque, displays Korans and illuminations. Return to the courtyard and you will see a reconstruction of the life of the followers in the building that housed their cells. In the corridor, objects that belonged to Mevlana are displayed. And in the old kitchens, there are life-size scenes of the dervishes' communal life.

This museum's 13 galleries of regional archaeological discoveries are worth a visit. The rich collection includes many artifacts from the Neolithic to the Roman Empire. Moreover, this museum complements well the visit of the ancient site of Perge, as the objects discovered during the excavations of the site are displayed in the museum. An ethnological section allows to understand the life of the nomads, the city dwellers in the Ottoman period... For the children: just after the entrance is a very well done room of sensitization to the history and the ethnography.

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.

On the avenue (continuity of Cumhuriyet Caddesi), it is distinguished by its pinkish architecture and colour. The building where Ataturk lived from 1918 until 16 May 1919 was acquired by the Istanbul municipality on 28 May 1928. This house, where Ataturk began his thoughts on the struggle for national liberation, opened his doors to the public on 15 June 1942 under the name of the Kemalist Revolution Museum to highlight his personality and his radical reforms. A new exhibition of exhibition spaces is undertaken by the municipality as of May 19, 1989. An important part of the museum's collections is the personal clothing and objects of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Photographs relating to his civilian and military life, written documents of his hand are also exposed.

It is a private museum born of the will of Mr. Rahmi Koç, son of the founder and powerful industrial, Mr. Vehbi Koç (1901-1996). The Koç family is one of the best known in the country, with Sabancı (the SON we see everywhere). It is almost impossible to find a Turkish who does not know it. As for the museum, he has elected a home in a historic building, the Lengerhane, which serves as a main building, while an exhibit room is attached to it by a transparent ramp. Probably built in the time of Ahmed III, the building was a foundry and produced essentially marine anchors, hence its name De literally meaning in Turkish «house of anchors». Restored under Selim III, the building was then made available, after the proclamation of the Republic, to the State monopoly for tobacco and alcohol. Devastated by a fire in 1984, it was acquired by the Museology Koç Museology and Culture Foundation, restored and opened to the public on 13 December 1994.

The majority of the Museum's objects were selected from the private collection of the Rahmi Koç industry. These are genuine scientific, mechanical and industrial machinery, tools and objects, or their models. In 2001, the museum acquired a 93 m long submarine. Originally from Portsmouth Shipyard (1944), he served at the end of the Second World War and was transferred to the Turkish army in 1971. His visit is arranged according to the schedule displayed at the entrance. It is useful to note that the site is private, we can organize visits, provided that it is a group of at least 10 people.

Sea lovers will be able to visit the tiny fishing museum on the coast. Contact the fishermen. Original and picturesque!

The interest of Ürgüp does not lie in its museum but rather in the charm of the old town's alleys: the walk there is very pleasant. The archaeological museum presents a small collection of objects as well as superb historical artifacts (figurines, pottery and some statues) discovered in the region. Most impressive are the tusks of an ancestor of the elephant family, more than 10 million years old, discovered in Mustafapaşa.

It's hard not to find a museum or a souvenir of Atatürk in a province... So Kayseri has its own museum dedicated to the great man of the nation. During his visit to the city in August 1919, Atatürk stayed in a wealthy 19th century Ottoman house, which today bears his name. The place is worth a visit, if only for its architecture: it is a two-storey house, with a very small mezzanine and typical Ottoman-style decoration. The historical building is located near the square.

These ancient Byzantine churches have been transformed into a mosque and a museum. Murad III converted the building into a mosque in 1591 under the name of Fethiye Camii (Conquest Mosque). The central part of the building is still a place of Islamic worship. The former chapel is a museum attached to Sainte-Sophie (visit on authorization). Its walls are covered with 14th century mosaics. We can see the famous bust of Christ Pantocrator surrounded by his twelve disciples.

The visit is not to be missed. The city museum includes an archaeology department and an ethnography department and a fine selection of objects discovered in the Assyrian city of Acemhöyük, near Aksaray. Approximately 10,000 pieces are on display dating back to the^5th millennium BC. The mummy of a woman, a nun with blond hair, found in the valley of Ihlara in the 1960s, remains one of the highlights of the visit.

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.

The medersa dates from the time of the Karamanids (14th), a Seljuk branch. It was used until the beginning of the 20th century. Closed for a while, it became a prison in the 1940s and finally a museum in 1969. Stemming from different cultures, several settlements radiate at one time in the arid steppes of central Anatolia: Aşıklı Höyük (25 km to the southeast, near Kızılkaya), Musular (close to the first one), Güvercinkayası (1 km away near the villages Çatalsu and Apsarı Köyü), Acemhöyük (13 km to the northwest).

Located in Mimar Sinan Park, the complex consists of two buildings: a hospital built in 1206 and a medersa (medical school) built in 1219, one of the first medical schools in the world. The complex was built at the request of Sultan Keyhüsrev and his sister Gevser Nesibe Sultan. Today, the complex has been transformed into a museum that exhibits different sections on Seljuk civilization, history, art and culture. Interesting.

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.