Do you have any places you want to see but couldn’t go? If so, this article is for you. Today, I will talk about virtual museums in Turkey that you can enjoy even while sitting at home, at work, or in a cafe. Especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is really gratifying to have our cultural heritage available in a virtual environment when many museums are closed.
War of Independence Museum
The War of Independence Museum was used as the Grand National Assembly of Turkey building between 1920-1924, and in 1957 it was decided to turn it into a museum. It started serving as the War of Independence Museum on April 23, 1981. The museum contains personal belongings of Atatürk and some parliament members, war materials, oil paintings, and various communication devices.
https://sanalmuze.gov.tr/EN-259957/kurtulus-savasi-muzesi—ankara.html
Efes Museum
Efes Museum, one of Turkey’s most important museums, contains gold and silver coins, jewelry, the Efes Artemis statue, the head of Eros, the head of Socrates, and some mythological god sculptures that cover from the ancient era to the Ottoman period.
https://sanalmuze.gov.tr/TR-259959/efes-muzesi—izmir.html
Troy Museum
Troy Museum is located at the entrance of the ancient city of Troy, which was included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1998. The museum exhibits sculptures, sarcophagi, inscriptions, earthenware, weapons, coins, jewelry, ornaments, and so on.
https://sanalmuze.gov.tr/TR-259960/troya-muzesi—canakkale.html
Gazi Muesum
Gazi Museum is the first place where Atatürk stayed in Samsun. It was transferred to the Ministry of Culture in 1997. The museum displays 105 artifacts belonging to Atatürk.
https://sanalmuze.gov.tr/TR-259962/gazi-muzesi—samsun.html
Göbeklitepe Archaeological Site
Göbeklitepe is considered the world’s oldest and largest worship center. It is a place full of secrets that have been discovered, but still cannot be solved by scientists. It is thought that work on this temple, where giant columns weighing 60 tons are buried in earth and stone, will continue for years.
https://sanalmuze.gov.tr/TR-259963/gobeklitepe-orenyeri—sanliurfa.html
Gaziantep Archaeological Museum
The museum started serving on Istasyon Street in 1969. Stone artifacts, jewelry, tombstones from the Roman period, some of the Zeugma Seal Impressions, coins, and Ottoman-era artifacts are exhibited here.
https://sanalmuze.gov.tr/muzeler/GAZIANTEP_ARKEOLOJI_MUZESI/
Zeugma Mosaic Museum
The Zeugma Mosaic Museum is known as the world’s largest mosaic museum. Examples of Late Antique period churches, Christian and Syriac iconography are exhibited in the museum. In addition, you can see Roman-era statues, fountains, and columns. The bronze statue of the God of War, Ares, is particularly worth seeing.
https://sanalmuze.gov.tr/muzeler/GAZIANTEP_ZEUGMA_MOZAIK_MUZESI/
Şanlıurfa Museum
The museum was opened to visitors in 1969. There are 14 main exhibition halls and 33 reconstruction areas in the museum. In addition, there are excavation training areas for experimental archaeological excavations. You can also see various statues and works related to Göbeklitepe in this museum.
https://sanalmuze.gov.tr/muzeler/SANLIURFA_MUZESI/
Hatay Archeology Museum
Hatay Museum was opened to visitors in 1948, the 10th anniversary of Hatay’s accession to our country. The museum has 8 exhibition halls and various artifacts are exhibited in its garden. As of 2011, a total of 35,433 artifacts have been recorded.
https://sanalmuze.gov.tr/muzeler/HATAY_ARKEOLOJI_MUZESI/
Goreme Open Air Museum
The museum was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985. There are many monastery churches and chapels in the museum, and frescoes depicting the stories of Jesus will take you back to that era.
https://sanalmuze.gov.tr/muzeler/NEVSEHIR_GOREME_ACIKHAVA_MUZESI/
The Izmir Atatürk Museum
The Izmir Atatürk Museum consists of a basement, ground floor, first floor, and roof floor, covering an area of 852 square meters. Atatürk’s belongings, books about Atatürk, statues, and oil paintings are exhibited.
https://sanalmuze.gov.tr/muzeler/IZMIR_ATATURK_MUZESI/
Nemrut Ruins
The mausoleum and monumental statues on the slopes of Mount Nemrut are among the most impressive remains of the Hellenistic period. The statues are made of limestone blocks and are 8-10 meters high.
https://sanalmuze.gov.tr/muzeler/ADIYAMAN_NEMRUT_ORENYERI/
Çanakkale Assos Ancient City
Assos Ancient City was founded in the 6th century BC. Andesite stone was used in the establishment of the city. The tombs found here were very famous in the Ancient World. Athena Temple is located on top of the city. You can also see the Roman-era ancient theater, cemetery, and walls.
https://sanalmuze.gov.tr/muzeler/CANAKKALE_ASSOS_ORENYERI/
The Istanbul Archaeological Museums
The Istanbul Archaeological Museums consist of three main units: the Archaeology Museum, the Tiled Kiosk Museum, and the Ancient Oriental Works Museum. There are nearly one million artifacts from different cultures. This museum is the first museum in Turkey.
https://sanalmuze.gov.tr/muzeler/ISTANBUL_ARKEOLOJI_MUZELERI/
Ephesus Ruins
Efes, which has been listed as a World Cultural Heritage site, was known as the capital of Anatolia in ancient times. The fact that the Temple of Artemis is located here also increases the importance of this place. There are examples of Hellenistic and Roman civilization architecture and religious symbols in Efes. The church of Virgin Mary is also located in the archaeological site.
