The first
archaeology museum in
İzmir was opened to visit in 1927 at
Ayavukla Church in
Basmahane. Later, in 1951 a second museum was founded at the
Culture Park. However,both museums were insufficient and a new and modern museum was established on a 5000 sqm area in
Bahribaba Park in
Konak and the museum was opened to visit on February 11th, 1984. The museum was established to meet any kind of needs with exhibition halls, laboratories, warehouses, photography rooms, libraries and conference halls. The number of monuments located in the museum building and in the garden is more than 1500. The entrance floor of the museum is devoted to the exhibition of big archaeological monuments found during excavations. Busts, portraits and statues dating back to the period between
Archaic times and
Hellenistic time are displayed here. In the upper floor ceramic findings found in Iasos and
Bayraklı/
Smyrna (former
İzmir) excavations, hydrias of
Hellenistic period, glassware, coins and a bronze
Demeter statue are displayed. In the halls in the lower floor of the museum, the
Belevi tomb and reliefs and similar monuments are displayed.
İzmir Archaeological Museum is open to visit daily except Mondays between 08.30-12.30/13.30-17.30 in winter and between 08.30-17.30 in summer.
