The Antalya Museum was established in 1922 to prevent the greed and theft of works of art by the European forces that occupied the city during World War I, and also to protect the artifacts that had been rescued. Until 1972, it was housed in various mosques before being moved to its current location.
The museum has a total of 14 exhibition halls and is open every day of the week from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM. It displays artifacts from the Lycia, Pamphylia, and Pisidia regions within the borders of Antalya province. Awarded by Europe in 1988, the Antalya Museum showcases thousands of years old works of art in the best possible way. The museum halls include the Children's Section, the Natural History and Prehistory Hall, the Ceramic Artifacts Hall, the Regional Excavations Hall, the Emperors Hall, the Gods Hall, the Perge West Street and F-5 Fountain Hall, the Mosaic Hall, the Perge Theatre Hall, the Sarcophagi Hall, the Death Cult Hall, and the Coins, Small Artifacts, and Icons Hall.
Among these are very valuable and well-known pieces such as the Dancing Woman Statue, the Caracalla Statue, the Dionysian Sarcophagus, the Sacrificial Scene Frieze, Leto, and the Weary Heracles. The Antalya Museum covers an area of approximately 30,000 m2. More than 30,000 artifacts are under protection, and around 5,000 are on display for visitors.
The museum has a parking area. Smoking is prohibited in the museum grounds. There is an entrance fee to the museum. The museum also has a conference hall and a cafeteria.
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General Information About the Central Museum of the Museum Directorate
The Antalya Museum was founded by the late Süleyman Fikri ERTEN and initially established in a small mosque opposite the Tekeli Mehmet Pasha Mosque, collecting ancient artifacts. After moving to the Alaaddin Mosque in the old town in 1922 and then to the Yivli Minare Mosque in 1937, the museum has been operating in its current building since 1972.
The Antalya Museum received the Council of Europe Special Award in 1988 and consists of 12 exhibition halls and a garden display. Most of the artifacts in its collection were obtained from periodic excavations in the Antalya region, which possesses great archaeological richness, and are arranged chronologically from the first humans to the present day. An additional building will also be constructed, providing larger exhibition areas and contemporary artifact storage facilities.
Number of artifacts in the Central Museum
Number of Items in Inventory
14,216 archaeological artifacts
Coin number: 31.408
Ethnography: 6,792
Number of Registered Assets for Study
1,127 archaeological sites
Coins: 17,909, Bullets: 32
Ethnography: 81
Antalya Museum Sculptures by Period
Antalya boasts a wealth of natural and historical treasures in Türkiye. This vast province comprises some of the most interesting archaeological settlements, including Lycia, Pamphylia, Cilicia, and Pisidia. It also has a long coastline on the Mediterranean and rich soil. The Antalya Museum, among the world's leading museums, displays the most exquisite artifacts illuminating the entire history of the region with its unique collections.
The Antalya Museum was founded in 1922 by teacher Süleyman Fikri Erten. The museum was initially located in the Alaaddin Mosque in Kaleiçi, and later moved to the Yivli Minare Complex in 1937. It relocated to its current building in 1972.
In 1988, Antalya Museum received the Council of Europe Special Award.
Antalya Museum consists of 13 exhibition halls and a garden exhibition area. Most of the archaeological and ethnographic artifacts in the museum's collection were obtained from regular excavations carried out in the region by local and foreign scientists.
The exhibition began with finds from the Karain Cave, which are very important for the Paleolithic of Anatolia and the Near East, and continued chronologically with finds from the Bademağacı, Karataş Semayük, Bayındır Tumuli, Hacımusalar, Limyra, Patara, Xanthos, Arykanda, St. Nicholas Church, Perge, and Museum rescue excavations.
Some of the museum's most interesting exhibits include the burial jar in the Prehistory Hall, the artifacts from the 7th-century BC Elmalı-Bayındır Tumuli adorning the central display case of the Excavations Hall, the black and white marble dancer statue in the Emperors' Hall, an example of Patara's carved tombs in the lower floor of the new building, and the Coin and Korydella hoards in the upper floor of the same building.
The Antalya Museum's sculpture collection is mostly from the Roman period, with a few exceptions dating back to the 2nd century AD. Almost all of the exhibited examples were unearthed from Perge, which was the capital of Pamphylia at that time. The richness of this collection, which includes Greek sculptures, Roman portrait sculptures, and copies of sarcophagi (carved stone tombs), provides clear evidence of a school of sculpture located in Perge. The Antalya Museum owes much to the archaeologists who began excavations in Perge in 1946 under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Arif Müfit Mansel and Prof. Dr. Jale İnan, and who unearthed a large part of the sculpture collection preserved in the museum.
In addition, Aspendos tiles, a Seljuk Quran, calligraphic panels such as hilye, naat, icâzet and katığ made by our old calligraphers, dervish lodge materials, weighing instruments, examples of Döşemealtı carpets woven in the villages of the region, and a 15th-century Uşak carpet are among the most interesting exhibits in the Ethnography department. Furthermore, a section of these halls displays glimpses of nomadic life. In another section...
A commemorative display case featuring the typewriter, calculator, and first seal of the museum's founder, Süleyman Fikri Erten, is located at the end of the exhibition areas.
The Natural History and Prehistory Hall of the Antalya Museum displays fossils of various organisms from the earliest geological period to the fourth geological period, as well as artifacts from the Karain, Hacılar, Bademağacı, and Karataş-Semayük excavations dating back to the Lower Paleolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Early Bronze Ages.
The chronological development of ceramics from the Geometric Period (10th century BC) to the Byzantine Period (13th century AD) is shown in the Ceramics Hall. The artifacts were obtained from various excavations in the region.
The museum displays new finds from 26 different excavations under its responsibility. Some of the museum's excavations were carried out by universities and various institutions.
The Hall of Emperors contains statues of the 2nd and 3rd century Roman emperors Trajan, Hadrian, and Septimius Severus. Each was found during various seasons of the Perge excavations. It is known that the workshops of Perge produced these magnificent statues.
Hall of the Gods: Most of these statues found during the excavations at Perge are replicas made in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD of original Hellenistic period sculptures.
The "Mosaic of the Philosophers," found in Seleucia, Pamphylia, is one of the most impressive mosaics in the Mosaic Hall. Its borders depict renowned mathematicians, orators, and philosophers from antiquity.
The male and female heads displayed in the Marble Portrait Hall date from the Roman period of the 2nd century AD; some are idealized, while others are displayed to highlight individual characteristics.
Perge Theatre Hall: All artifacts are displayed in front of the stage building of the Perge Theatre. The artifacts were found completely destroyed beneath the stage building, which collapsed due to an earthquake. After a two-year restoration process, they will be exhibited in the museum.
Sarcophagus Hall: In the entrance section of this hall, you can see various types of sarcophagi, most of which were brought from the Perge necropolis. The locally produced Prokennessos and Dokimeion marbles were processed in Perge workshops. All date from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. The second section displays an example of an underground tomb from Patara. In this section, you can also see fragments of sarcophagi and tomb monuments found in Patara and Limyra, as well as steles, inscriptions, and other works of art from various archaeological sites.
The underwater "Small Finds," "Icon," and "Coin Hall" displays regional city coins, starting with the technique of coin minting. The coins are planned to be displayed chronologically according to the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, European, Beylik, and Ottoman periods. Underwater artifacts, figurines, jewelry, hoards, and bullae are displayed in other showcases in the hall. Interesting corners of the hall include a showcase displaying 19th-century icons and several bones belonging to Saint Nicholas.
Antalya Museum Opening and Closing Hours 2024
Opening/Closing Hours: Opening Time: 08:30 Closing Time: 17:30
Open every day
Antalya Museum Address and Antalya Museum Entrance Fee 2024
Address: Bahçelievler Mahallesi Konyaaltı Caddesi No 88 Muratpaşa / Antalya Email: antalyamuzesi@kultur.gov.tr Tel 1: 02422385688
Antalya Museum Entrance Fee: 340 TL for foreigners.
Antalya Museum Entrance Fee: 60 TL (For Turkish citizens only).
Status: OPEN every day of the week.
Audio Guide Service is Available.
List of Buses That Pass Near Antalya Museum
Additionally, if you get off at the Meltem stop, you can reach the Antalya Museum in a 10-minute walk. Similarly, after getting off at the Education and Research Hospital stop, you can also reach the Antalya Museum in another 10-minute walk.
Antalya Public Bus Student Ticket Price: 15 TL
Antalya Bus Fares 2026: Regular Card: 35 TL
Antalya bus fares 2026: Bank card and credit card: 35 TL
Apart from buses, the tram line goes directly to the museum. The museum is located in a spot overlooking Konyaaltı Beach. Nearby attractions include Antalya Research Hospital, the Konyaaltı Beach road, and parks and seating areas on the cliffs.
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