Turkey has a wealth of museums which have on display items and artifacts relating to different areas of study and times. These provide an insight to the rich historical and cultural heritage of Turkey.
Turkey has always been a country where important historical and cultural events have happened. It was the seat of the eastern Roman empire, the Byzantine empire, and the Ottoman empire. Istanbul, in Turkey, was an immensely important city, center of trade, commerce and communication, during the reign of all these three empires. Therefore, Turkey has witnessed its fair share of important pats of history, and this reflects in the museums of Turkey.
Important museums in the capital city Ankara include the Ankara Anatolian Civilization museum. Housed in two fifteenth century buildings, this museum displays chronologically arranged artifacts from the Hittite, Urartian, Assyrian, Phyrgian, Greek and Roman civilizations, and also other items. Another important museum is the Antkabir museum, displaying memorabilia of the time of iconic national hero Kamal Ataturk.
In Istanbul, there is the Topkapi Palace museum, having artifacts of the Ottoman empire. The Archaeological Museum at Istanbul displays precious artifacts of the time of the Greek, Roman and Byzantine empires. Also, the museum of Turkish and Islamic Art chronicle the life and times of Turkish people, and has a collection of glassware, earthenware and other utility objects.
Museums in Antalya include the Antalya Archaeological Museum, which has artifacts dating back from the stone and bronze ages to the Hellenistic, Greek, Roman and Byzantine empires. The Underwater archeology museum at Bodrum is another interesting place, displaying artifacts procured from various underwater expeditions done on the Turkish coast.
