This spot is a time machine disguised as a museum and now I know more about Anatolia than I ever planned to. The Antalya Archaeology Museum is basically a flex... 14 exhibition halls full of statues, sarcophagi, and enough gods to form a celestial rock band. Turns out, Patara, capital of the Lycian League, was the early democracy superstar, and allegedly the OG inspo for the U.S. Constitution. Eat your heart out, Philadelphia. Timeline crash course? Romans ran the place until 395, then it was the Byzantine party until 1453, followed by the Ottoman Empire doing its thing until 1922, when it all came crashing down like a poorly engineered aqueduct. Also, St. Nicholas? Yeah, Santa Claus was actually a Greek bishop from Myra, not a jolly North Pole elf with a toy and cookie addiction. In short: I went for some dusty artifacts and left questioning everything I thought I knew about Christmas and democracy. read more

Antalya Müzesi - Museums Near Me - Antalya, 07

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The classical-era materials are all housed and presented in newly renovated, brightly colored rooms with good signage and good organization. All of the marbles are so cool, overwhelming in terms of how many there are and how gorgeous and how much mythology is behind them! There is even a computer terminal where you can interact with the statues and learn the legends they come from. The materials predating classical antiquity are in the more traditional glass cases, categorized first by time period and then by type, which is a bit confusing and repetitive. This is a super worthwhile visit in Antalya-- very extensive and very interesting, helps to put a lot of the sites in context! read more

Must see when you are in Antalya. Its not only this ancient town; most of the ancient civilizations ruins and art crafts, monuments are presented in this museum. This is one of the best museum in Turkey. I should recommend you to ask for guided tour, which a cheap service. Or at least get, voice guide when you are. read more