Eski Şark Eserleri Müzesi

The collections of the Museum of the Ancient Orient consist of works from the pre-Greek periods of Anatolia and Mesopotamia, and the pre-Islamic periods of Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula. Most of these works were unearthed in archaeological excavations that began at the end of the 19th century and continued until World War I, and were brought to Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman State, which was the ruler of these countries at that time.

In the Museum of the Ancient Orient, which consists of the sections Pre-Islamic Arabian Works, Egyptian Works, Mesopotamian Works, Anatolian Works, Urartian Works and Cuneiform Documents, the presentation has been made with a regional classification; the cultures of the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Mesopotamia and Anatolia have been presented within their own historical development. Alongside unique works such as the Stele of Akkadian King Naram-Sin, the Kadesh Treaty, and the Ishtar Gate, the Tablet Archive containing 75 thousand cuneiform documents is also located in this section. History The building in which the Ancient Oriental Works are housed today was commissioned by Osman Hamdi Bey in 1883 as the Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi, that is, the Academy of Fine Arts.

This academy, which would later form the foundations of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, is the first fine arts school opened in the Ottoman State. The architect of the building is Alexander Vallaury, who would later build the Classical building of the Istanbul Archaeology Museums. In 1917, when the academy inside it moved to another building in Cağaloğlu, this building was allocated to the Directorate of Museums. The museum director of the period, Halil Edhem Bey, thought that it would be more appropriate to exhibit works belonging to the ancient cultures of Near Eastern countries separately from Greek, Roman and Byzantine works, and ensured that the building was arranged as the Museum of the Ancient Orient. The German expert Eckhard Unger, who was invited for this work, worked in Istanbul in 1917-1919 and 1932-1935, completed the museum display, and made a series of publications on the works.

The museum, which was evacuated for defense purposes during World War II, was later rearranged by Osman Sümer according to Unger's principles. In 1963, a major reorganization was carried out in the museum structure and it was reopened to visitors in 1974. The Museum of the Ancient Orient, which most recently underwent maintenance and repairs in 1999-2000, reached its present form on 8 September 2000.

Places to Visit in Istanbul Address: İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri Alemdar Cad. Osman Hamdi Bey Yokuşu Sk, 34122, Gülhane Fatih İstanbul