Welcome to the house of Civilizations at Archaeological Museums of Istanbul! This is the shortest way to enjoy the collections of this unique museum while in Istanbul!

Once you book here, according to your choices for your visit:

-       A QR-Code as a digital pass for the Istanbul Archaeological Museums comes to your phone, Or

-       An Official Museum Guide will meet and greet you to take you with a digital pass to skip the lines at the ticket booth

-       SO, EVENTUALLY, you do not wait before the ticket lines, instead you continue to the turnstlies to make a Skip-the-Line entrance.

What is Istanbul Archaeological Museums?

Istanbul Archaeology Museums is located inside a former palace complex of the Ottoman Dynasty in Istanbul. The extensive courtyards of this Topkapi Palace is now home for many museums of different kinds. One of the most exquisite collections is here and reflecting about ancient civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean.

The archaeological findings are mostly from the excavations of 19th century and they reflect the cultural aspects of various ancient civilizations like Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Ionic, Greek, Hellenic and Roman past.

There are pieces from sculptures to coins or sarcophages to inscriptions about different matters.

What is inside the Istanbul Archaeological Museums?

The giant collections of the Istanbul Archaeological Museums offer a great variety of artifacts from several ancient civilizations and geographies around the Mediterranean and Middle East.

Today, the central sections will show you a nice selection of statues through the right flank while there is a very unique collection of sarcophaguses across the left flank. The statues are aligned via a series of galleries reflecting the evolution of arts.

On the other hand, the thematic sections are full of interesting pieces found from many major cities from ancient Greek, Hellenic and Roman cities.

There will be explanations to exhibit the story of human civilization from archaic ages to the medieval times. The story of the humanity will be complete at the end.

No surprise, one of the richest collections at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum is about money! There is a whole gallery surrounded by coins from different civilizations from the starting point of usage of money in human history.

Guided Tours by Officials at Istanbul Archaeological Museums as an Option

There is an option to book for a tour by an official guide of the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, if you wish to experience this place with a very detailed orientation.

The tour will take you from the entrance through the galleries with a narration about the ancient times and the current museum structure.

The stories and explanations will help you to understand this rich history much better. After this 45- to 60-Minute tour, you will have unlimited time to stay and enjoy the collections.

Sarcophage of Alexander the Great at Istanbul Archaeological Museums?

One of the most anticipated finding of our archaeological world is the grave of Alexander the Great. The closest moment was when they unearthed in Sidon (in today's Lebanon) the amazing sarcophage that you can see today at the Archaeological Museums of Istanbul. Although it was realized that this was probably belonging to the King of Sidon made so by Alexander the Great. On the spectacular relief of the Sarcophage he is visible alongside Alexander the Great on the battlefield.

Today, this piece could be seen at the Necropolis Section of the Archaeological Museums of Istanbul.