Istanbul Archaeological Museum is one of the assets of Turkey Tourism. The Church of Saint Irene located behind Saint Sophia was converted into a museum to store and exhibit the archaeological remnants of various parts of Turkey.
The address of Istanbul Archaeological Museum is as follows:
Topkapi Palace (to the right of and behind St. Irene),
Gülhane Park,
Istanbul, Turkey
Phone: 0212/520-7740
The initiative of the endeavor was made by a famous painter of Turkey, Osman Hamdi Bey. The museum has a huge collection of rare and valuable articles. The famed exhibits give the tourists a comprehensive idea about the history of Turkey.
The collection of sarcophagi is one of the major pieces of archeology. The most significant one is the Sarcophagus of Sidamara dating back to the 3rd century before Christ. The sarcophagus shows the influence of the outside world. The other sarcophagi includes those from Albania, Crete, Ephesus and others. Some of the most famous ones are the Sarcophagus of Alexander, the Great, Women in Tears. The depiction of humans and other creatures on the lids of this funeral monuments are beautiful along with their significance as valuable pieces of history.
The mosaics, panels and carvings like the one depicting Hercules' adventures are also interesting. The other artifacts of Istanbul Archaeological Museum range from statues to coins, from articles of daily use to seals, decorations and other objects.
The most significant document preserved in Archaeological Museum of Istanbul is the Treaty of Kadesh, the first parity peace treaty. The script is Akkadian and the date is 1269BC. The treaty was signed between the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II and Hattusilis III, the Hittite king.
