Museums in Turkey

Following the proclamation of the Republic, Turkish museums developed considerably, mainly due to the importance Atatürk had attached to the research and exhibition of artifacts of Anatolia. When the Republic of Turkey was proclaimed, there were only the Archaeological Museum of İstanbul called the "Asar-ı Atika Müzesi", the Istanbul Military Museum housed in the St. Irene Church, the Islamic Museum (Evkaf-ı Islamiye Müzesi) in the Suleymaniye Complex in Istanbul and the smaller museums of the Ottoman Empire Museum (Müze-i Humayun) in a few large cities of Anatolia.

The Turkish Archaeological Museum (Türk Asar-ı Atikası), which was established during the first years of the Republic, carried out studies to gather, collate, catalogue and protect archaeological and ethnographical finds. In many provinces of Anatolia, monumental buildings such as ancient churches, mosques and caravanserais were restored and converted into museums. Topkapı Palace, which was converted into a museum with the furniture and works of art on the premises, was opened to the public in 1927. The same year, the Islamic Museum was reorganized as the "Museum of Turkish and Islamic Works of Art" and the Mevlana Dervish Lodge in Konya was also converted into a museum.

The construction of the Ankara Ethnographical Museum, the first building designed as a museum, was completed in 1930. New museums were established in Bursa, Adana, Manisa, İzmir, Kayseri, Antalya, Afyon, Bergama and Edirne. The Hittite Museum, which was established in the Mahmut Pasha Bedesten in Ankara in 1940, was restored and renovated and converted into "Museum of Anatolian Civilizations” in 1968.

Today, there are 99 museum directorates attached to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 151 private museums in 36 provinces and 1,204 private collections.

List of museums

Adana

• Adana Archaeological Museum
• Adana Cinema Museum
• Adana Ethnography Museum
• Atatürk Museum
• Misis Mosaic Museum

Afyonkarahisar

• Afyonkarahisar Archaeological Museum
• Victory Museum
• Atatürk's House (Şuhut)

Ankara

• Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
• Anıtkabir
• Ankara Aviation Museum
• Ethnography Museum of Ankara
• Feza Gürsey Science Center
• Pembe Köşk
• Rahmi M.Koç Museum (Ankara)
• Roman Baths of Ankara
• State Art and Sculpture Museum
• TCDD Open Air Steam Locomotive Museum
• Ulucanlar Prison Museum
• War of Independence Museum

Antalya

• Antalya Museum
• Atatürk's House Museum (Antalya)

Aydın

• Aydın Archaeological Museum

Gaziantep

• Gaziantep Museum of Archaeology

Bayburt

• Baksı Museum

Hatay

• Hatay Archaeology Museum

İstanbul

2

İzmir

• Ahmed Adnan Saygun Arts Centre
• Çamlık Railway Museum
• İzmir Archaeological Museum
• İnciraltı Sea Museum
• İzmir Art and Sculpture Museum
• Izmir Ethnography Museum
• İzmir Toy Museum
• Avrasya Anı Evi (Eurasia Memorial House)

Konya

• Mevlana Museum

Manisa

• Archaeological Museum of Manisa

Mersin

• Mersin Museum
• Atatürk Museum
• Mersin Naval Museum
• Silifke Museum
• Tarsus Museum

Tekirdağ

• Namık Kemal House Museum
• Rákóczi Museum

Trabzon

• Hagia Sophia, Trabzon
• Trabzon Museum

Uşak

• Uşak Museum of Archaeology