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 İstanbul Archaeology Museum called the "Asar-ı Atika Müzesi", the Istanbul Military Museum housed in the St. Irene Church, the Islamic Museum in the Suleymaniye Complex in Istanbul and the smaller museums of the Ottoman Empire Museum in a few large cities of Anatolia.
The Turkish Archaeological Museum, 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

Adıyaman

Afyonkarahisar

Aksaray

Amasya Museum

Ankara

Image:Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük on black background.jpg|thumb|Seated Woman of Çatal Höyük: the head is a restoration, Museum of Anatolian Civilizations

Antalya

Image:ANTALYAMUS_3339_KT.jpg|thumb|Greek female statue at Alanya Archaeological Museum

Artvin

Aydın

Balıkesir

Bartın

Batman

Bayburt

Bilecik

Bolu

Burdur

Bursa

Çanakkale

Çankırı

Denizli

Diyarbakır

Düzce

Edirne

Elazığ

Erzincan

Eskişehir

Gaziantep

Giresun

Hatay

Isparta

Iğdır

İzmir

Kahramanmaraş

Karaman

Karabük

Kars

Kastamonu

Kayseri

Kırıkkale

Kırşehir

Kilis

Kocaeli

Konya

Kütahya

Malatya

Manisa

Mardin

Muğla

Nevşehir

Niğde

Ordu

Osmaniye

Rize

Sakarya

Samsun

Sinop

Sivas

Şanlıurfa

Tekirdağ

Tokat

Trabzon

Uşak

Yozgat