New Archaeological Museum in Antalya

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. 

[The project image of the new Antalya Archaeology Museum, which will be built

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”.