Hatay Archaeology Museum

The Hatay Archaeology Museum, rising on Atatürk Caddesi in the Maşuklu district of Antakya, is renowned for holding the largest mosaic exhibition space of any museum in the world.

History

Its origins date to the French Mandate period: construction of the first museum building began in 1934, was completed in 1938, and the museum opened to the public in 1948. The core of the collection consists of Roman and Late Antique floor mosaics lifted between 1932 and 1939 by an international excavation committee led by Princeton University from the villa floors of ancient Antioch (Antakya), Daphne (Harbiye) and Seleucia Pieria (Çevlik). As the collection and visitor numbers grew, a new building was begun in 2011; designed by architect Kemal Nalbant, this modern structure opened on 28 December 2014.

Architecture and Collection

Set on a 53,500 m² plot with 32,754 m² of enclosed space and 10,700 m² of exhibition area, the museum is presented as the most extensive mosaic display hall on earth; the mosaics on show cover more than 3,000 m², and the inventory had reached roughly 37,000 objects before the earthquake. Architecturally the museum is a wide-span contemporary structure in which mosaics are shown both as horizontal panels and beneath walkway bridges that evoke their original context.

Its cultural importance is exceptional: the Yakto (Abandoned Ariadne) Mosaic, the Megalopsychia hunt scene and "buffet" panel, the Drunken Dionysos, Orpheus, Oceanus and Tethys, Narcissus, the Seasons and the famous "Evil Eye" (apotropaic) mosaic are masterpieces that carry the daily life, mythology and aesthetics of antiquity into the present. Sculpture, sarcophagi, coins and Hittite artefacts spanning the Palaeolithic to the Ottoman era complete the collection.

Visiting and Access

Its tourist value is high and it is an almost obligatory stop on agency programmes for Antakya, because in a single venue the 2,300-year story of this crossroads of civilisations can be read visually, it lends itself perfectly to guided narration, and its air-conditioned modern halls provide a comfortable break in the hot Hatay summer. The average visit lasts 1.5 to 2 hours. On guided tours it is usually placed in the cool morning hours within the same half-day as the Church of St. Peter and a walk through central Antakya. Nearby lie the Church of St. Peter, the Habib-i Neccar Mosque, the Uzun Çarşı bazaar, the Antakya Museum Hotel (Necmi Asfuroğlu Museum) and the Harbiye Waterfalls.

The most striking photo spots are the overhead angles from the walkway bridges looking down onto the mosaics and the space in front of the huge Yakto panel. Access is easy: the museum sits close to central Antakya and the airport road, its large car park readily accommodates tour coaches, and the modern building is wheelchair-accessible with ramps and lifts. The best season to visit is spring (April-May) and autumn; summers are busy and hot and winters rainy.

IMPORTANT CURRENT STATUS: the museum sustained slight damage in the 6 February 2023 earthquake, its artefacts were moved to safe storage, and the building is being restored for a phased reopening by the end of 2026, beginning with the mosaic halls, with the inventory expected to rise to about 40,000 objects; visitors should confirm the current opening status before travelling.