The Archaeological Museum in Antalya is one of the largest and most important museums in Turkey. It was awarded the Special Prize of the European Council in 1988.

On an area of 7,000 m2 about 5,000 outstanding exhibits from Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman times are shown. It comprises 13 rooms and a spacious museum garden with stone witnesses from the history of Pamphylia and Lycia.

In addition, another 25,000 to 30,000 artefacts are stored that cannot be displayed.

During the occupation period at the end of the First World War, Italian archaeologists began to remove archaeological artefacts from Antalya and its surroundings and bring them to Italy.

In 1919 Süleyman Fikri Bey, advisor to the Sultan, was appointed curator of antiquities by the provincial governor's office and founded the first museum, making the theft of antique objects more difficult.

In 1922, the museum was first located in the Alâeddin Mosque, from 1937 in the Yivli Minare Mosque. In 1972, the current building was occupied. In 1982 it was closed to visitors due to numerous renovations and restorations. In April 1985 it was opened to the public after extensive modernisation and restoration work and a timely presentation of the exhibits.

to the exhibits