Turkey is quite rich country with museums as that area hosted many great civilisations in the history. There are valuable artworks that shed light on history and many valuable museums where these works are together. Also, it is very difficult to put them in numbers. I would like to list my favorite museums in below.
Museums in Turkey
I like to visit the museums that reflect the traces of history to the modern day. There are many museums that host millions of artifacts in the every corner of Turkey. I think you should go and see these values. The traces of many civilizations that have existed in this geography for centuries can still be seen in these museums. I share with you the 10 must-see museums that I have enjoyed and impressed.
Şanlıurfa Museum – Şanlıurfa
The largest and most impressive museum among the museums in Turkey, I would say. Sanliurfa Museum, which contains many valuable artifacts from Stone Age, Neolithic Age, Bronze Age to Roman Period, is one of the museums to be seen. I just visited it on February, 2019 and it is located in the city center of Sanliurfa. I will also recommend you to visit the world’s first temple Göbeklitepe that is 20 mins to city by car.
Şanlıurfa Museum entrance fee: 1 EUR / Free if you have a museum card.
Zeugma Museum – Gaziantep
The gypsy girl is the shinning star of the museum. The mosaic on the floor from the rescue of Belkıs ruins attracts the attention of the visitors. The mosaic exhibited in a special room astonishes those who see it with its smallness. After visiting museum, you should definitely enjoy the Antep cuisine.
Gaziantep Zeugma Museum entrance fee : 4 EUR / If you have a museum card free of charge.
Bodrum Underwater Archeology Museum – Muğla
The Bodrum Naval Museum is one of the best examples of living museums. The museum, which is located in Bodrum Castle, exhibits the maritime works from the the period of knights. You can visit Uluburun shipwreck and thousands of underwater works and it is a museum that smells of history. By the way, you should enjoy Bodrum and its surroundings from Bodrum Castle.
Bodrum Underwater Archeology Museum entrance fee: 3 EUR, over 65 and under 18 free of charge / Free if you have a museum card.
İstanbul Toy Museum – Istanbul
If you want to return to those beautiful days in your childhood, you must visit here. Istanbul Toy Museum has on display 4,000 toys and miniatures from Turkey and abroad; many of the exhibits are antiques, some of which date back nearly 200 years. The museum offers the history of world to the visitors with more fun and catchy learning methods.
Istanbul Toy Museum entrance fee: 1,5 EUR.
Burdur Museum – Burdur
I call it the big museum in the small city because I was not expecting that much. You may be interested in the sarcophagi and statues in the garden. I especially recommend you to examine carefully the works of Kibyra.
Burdur Museum entrance fee: 1 EUR / Free if you have a museum card.
Ephesus Museum – Izmir
Turkey’s most visited museum in the historical area would be great to visit. The statues, old coins and jewellery are very interesting. Especially, Ephesus Artemis statue, Eros and Egyptian priest statue were the ones that fascinated me.
Ephesus Museum entrance fee: 2 EUR / If you have a museum card free of charge.
Rahmi Koç Museum – Istanbul
It’s a place you won’t want to go out for hours when you are in. It is a perfectly designed museum, from underwater to Fenerbahçe Ferry, from model vehicles to observatory. Also, it is one of the main places to be seen in Istanbul.
Rahmi Koc Museum entrance fee. 3 EUR, 1 EUR for students.
Göreme Open Air Museum – Nevşehir
Gorgeous Open Air Museum is a must-see museum on list. The museum, which can be reached within a 15-minute walk from the town center of Göreme, is impressive. You should visit the Tokalı Church with its particularly interesting frescoes. It is one of the most special places of Cappadocia.
Göreme Open Air Museum entrance fee: 8 EUR / If you have a museum card, it is free.
Anıtkabir Museum – Ankara
If you want to have some idea about Turkish nation, it is great stop to see the late-history and see great Mausoleum of a man who modernized Turkey. Also, there is an underground museum to view Ataturk’s life and accomplishments.
Anıtkabir Museum entrance fee: Free.
Museum of Anatolian Civilisations – Ankara
This fascinating museum (Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi) contains over 200,000 historic pieces of which only a fraction can be displayed at one time. Exhibits in the museum starts from the Palaeolithic era, and continue chronologically through the Neolithic, Early Bronze, Assyrian trading colonies, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartian, Greek, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuq and Ottoman periods.
Museum of Anatolian Civilisations entrance fee: 6 EUR / If you have a museum card, it is free.