What is the history of istanbul archeology museum? Where is the istanbul archeology museum?
The curiosity of collecting artifact begins with Sultan Mehmet II (the Conqueror) in the Ottomans. Istanbul Archeology Museum is one of the most important Ottoman heritages left to the Republic of Turkey.
The Museum was first established by Damat Fethi Ahmet Pasha, an Ottoman politician and arsenal marshal in 1856 in Hagia Irene. At that time, it was named as Mecma-i Esliha-i Atika and Mecma-i Asar-i Atika (The Collection of Old Weapons and the Collection of Old Artifacts).
After 1869, Hagia Irene started to become too small to hold the objects of the Museum, which was called “Müze-i Hümayun (The Imperial Museum).” That is why the objects were moved to the Tiled Kiosk (or Tiled Pavilion Museum) and kept there.
With the contributions of Saffet Pasha and Ahmet Vefik Pasha, the Ministers of Education of the time, the collection of historical artifacts constantly developed.
The museum was re-established in June 13, 1891 by Osman Hamdi Bey, one of the famous Turkish painters and archeologers in its present building under the name “Asar-i Atika Müzesi (the Museum of Old Artifacts)”. The Museum which is located between Topkapı Palace and Gülhane Park is one of the largest museums of the world.
The collections exhibited in the Museum have more than one million artifacts from Balkans to Africa, from Anatolia and Mesopotamia to Arabian Peninsula and Afghanistan, in other words from all of the civilizations within the borders of Ottoman Empire.
Source: Harun Kırkıl, Read About and Travel Around ISTANBUL, Erkam Publications