Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
Hittite, Phrygian and Neolithic collections in two restored Ottoman market buildings below Ankara Castle.
The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations occupies two restored Ottoman buildings in the Atpazarı quarter below Ankara Castle: the fifteenth-century Mahmut Paşa Bedesten, a domed covered market, and the adjoining Kurşunlu Han. Both were damaged by fire and stood derelict for decades until a restoration programme begun in 1938 adapted them for museum use. The collection, assembled from excavations across Anatolia, was first shown in the Temple of Augustus before moving here, and the converted complex opened fully to visitors in 1968.
Displays are arranged chronologically around the central domed hall, running from the Palaeolithic through the Neolithic settlement of Çatalhöyük, the Early Bronze Age tombs of Alacahöyük, the Assyrian trading colonies, the Hittite empire, Phrygia and Urartu. Large stone reliefs and orthostats line the central space, while smaller finds fill the surrounding galleries. A separate section traces the classical, Roman and Ottoman history of Ankara itself. The museum was named European Museum of the Year in 1997.
Highlights
- Set in the 15th-century Mahmut Paşa Bedesten and the neighbouring Kurşunlu Han
- Neolithic material from Çatalhöyük, including wall paintings and figurines
- Hittite orthostats and the Alacahöyük portal lions in the central domed hall
- Named European Museum of the Year in 1997
![[King Thibaw Min's Throne Room - Mandalay]title QS:P1476,en:"[King Thibaw Min's Throne Room - Mandalay]"label QS:Len,"[King Thibaw Min's Throne Room - Mandalay]"](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Felice_Beato_%28British%2C_born_Italy_-_%28King_Thibaw_Min%27s_Throne_Room_-_Mandalay%29_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/500px-Felice_Beato_%28British%2C_born_Italy_-_%28King_Thibaw_Min%27s_Throne_Room_-_Mandalay%29_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
