The Archaeological
Museum in Antalya has been
closed to visitors as of 16 July 2025. A recent seismic analysis has revealed
that the existing building is a high-risk structure. This led the Ministry of
Culture and Tourism to take drastic measures to tear down the existing building
and replace it with a new earthquake-resistant construction.
on the same site. (IHA Photo)]
It must have
been a gigantic task to pack and remove the extensive collection of statues,
reliefs, sarcophagi, coins, and other artifacts to their temporary storage units
on the premises.
If all goes
according to plan, the Museum is expected to reopen by the end of 2026 with
larger exhibition space and state-of-the-art conservation facilities. An
ambitious deadline!
The museum’s conservation
and restoration work will not be interrupted and will continue elsewhere on the
property.
This kind of extensive
restoration and modernization project is not limited to Antalya,
though. Another 37 museums affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism
in Turkey
will shut down.
The country is
prone to earthquakes, and sooner or later, the structures show signs of serious
degradation. The most recent example is the strong earthquake of February 2023
that devastated so many buildings in southeastern Turkey and damaged several museums as well.
Aging
infrastructure is another issue impacting several major institutions such as
the Archaeological Museums of Istanbul,
the Fethiye Museum in Mugla,
the Museum
of Aphrodisias in Aydin, and the Archaeology
Museum of Gaziantep. In central Anatolia, the Museums of Nevsehir, Urgup, and Nigde are all undergoing reinforcement work. Last but not least, redesigning the
layout and display of the exhibited artworks is another issue.
I am sharing
hereafter a list of the 37 museums involved, including their dates of closure
and reasons for repair as published in Türkiye
Today.
List
of closed museums in Türkiye (As of July 2025)
1.
Gaziantep Archaeology Museum
(Maintenance and Repair – Feb. 6, 2023)
2.
Hatay Archaeology Museum
(Maintenance and Repair – Feb. 6, 2023)
3.
Kilis Alaeddin Yavasca
Museum
(Concert Hall – Restoration – Feb. 6, 2023)
4.
Malatya Museum
(Maintenance and Repair – Feb. 6, 2023)
5.
Malatya Beskonaklar Ethnography
Museum
(Maintenance and Repair – Feb. 6, 2023)
6. Mugla Fethiye Museum
(Structural Reinforcement – March 4, 2023)
7. Istanbul Great Palace
Mosaics Museum
(Restoration – April 9, 2023)
8. Istanbul Tiled Kiosk
Museum (Cinili Kosk)
(Exhibition and Layout Renewal – April 19, 2023)
9. Mugla Museum
(Reinforcement and Restoration – June 22, 2023)
10.
Eregli Museum
(Reinforcement – July 5, 2023)
11.
Nevsehir Museum
(Reinforcement – Aug. 31, 2023)
12.
Bitlis Ethnography Museum
(Maintenance and Repair – Sept. 20, 2023)
13.
Yozgat Museum
(Maintenance and Repair – Dec. 11, 2023)
14.
Nigde Museum
(Reinforcement – Dec. 11, 2023)
15.
Urgup Museum
(Reinforcement – Dec. 11, 2023)
16.
Aphrodisias Museum
(Reinforcement – Jan.11, 2024)
17.
Konuralp Museum
(Reinforcement – Jan. 11, 2024)
18.
Kutahya Museum
(New Building Construction – Feb. 2, 2024)
19.
Galata Mevlevihane Museum
(Maintenance and Repair – May 13, 2024)
20.
Hazeranlar Mansion (Amasya)
(Restoration & Exhibition Arrangement – Nov. 11, 2024)
21.
Lycia Civilizations Museum (Demre, Antalya)
(Exhibition, Layout & Landscaping — Feb 17, 2025)
22. Istanbul Archaeological Museums
(Classical Building Ground Floor, Annex, and North
Wing—Reinforcement/Restoration – April 19, 2023)
23.
Mersin Anamur Museum
(General Reinforcement – Dec. 27, 2012)
24.
Isparta Museum
(Repair & Landscaping – Aug. 28, 2014)
25.
Elazig Museum
(Reinforcement – Aug. 18, 2016)
26.
Diyarbakir Silvan Ataturk
House Museum
(General Repair – Dec. 24, 2018)
27.
Bursa Yenisehir Semaki
House Museum
(Restoration – Dec. 16, 2019)
28.
Izmir Tire Museum
(Reinforcement – June 22, 2020)
29. Istanbul Museum of the
Ancient Orient (Eski Sark Eserleri Muzesi)
(Exhibition and Layout Renewal – May 12, 2022)
30.
Adana Suleyman Tower (Suleyman Kulesi)
(Landscaping – May 26, 2022)
31.
Kastamonu Liva Pasha Mansion Ethnography
Museum
(Restoration – Oct. 20, 2022)
32.
Adiyaman Museum
(Maintenance/Repair – Feb. 6, 2023)
33.
Kars Museum (Ethnographic Hall)
(Exhibition Preparation – March 4, 2025)
34.
Fethiye Museum (Second
Entry)
(Restoration – April 5, 2025)
35. Antalya Museum
(New Building Construction & Collection Relocation – July
16, 2025)
36.
Adnan Menderes Democracy
Museum
(Maintenance and Repair – July 7, 2025)
37. Ahlat Museum
(Landscaping – July 21, 2025)
[Mosaic from the Temple of Apollo, Letoon
Original at the Museum of Fethiye]
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has not
provided specific reopening dates for most of these institutions. Instead, they
have left it rather vague, using words such as “until the completion of works”.