MUSEUMS OF IZMIR

The first museum of Izmir was established in 1927 in the Ayavukla Church in the district of Basmahane. When the Archaeological Museum was opened in the Culture Park in 1951 the museum in Basmahane was used as a depot for some of the objects. Meanwhile the construction of Izmir Regional Museum was begun in Bahribaba Park.

Today in the Basmahane museum - at present used as a depot only are works from various periods from the Izmir and Aegean regions. Among them are statues of emperors and empresses, grave steles, building stones, a coin collection, and in the garden friezes from the temple of Dionysus in Theos, and statues and sarcophagi from Aphrodisias.

Izmir Culture Park Archaeological Museum (Kültür Park Arkeoloji Müzesi)

Here are exhibited works from the Calcolithic Age to the Byzantine period. Among them are stone axes, pottery, flint knives and saws from the bronze age (IV millennium BC), pottery from the Hittite period (1900-1200 BC), pottery and metal and stone objects from the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods of the Ionian civilization, statues, clay figurines, vases, dishes, lamps, glass, coins, clay and marble sarcophagi and grave stones from the Roman period, and capitals of columns from the Archaic, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods. The Archaeological museum has been arranged according to region -Izmir, Bergama, Sart, and Ephesus.

Works from Bergama : Marble heads of women and Hercules, statues of Aphrodite and the Goddess of Victory (Nike), and a statue of a youth from the Roman period. From the Hellenistic period, there are a head of Aphrodite, statue of a dancing woman, marble Knidos Aphrodites, and a grave dating from 3000-2500 BC.

Works from Izmir : Marble grave stone, statue of a seated old man, small statue of Heracles, head of man and piece of a frieze, marble head of a woman, head of Aphrodite, statue of a woman, stone column capital, clay amphoras, a sarcophagus and an earthenware bath from the Hellenistic period.

Works from Sart: Marble statue of a woman, an inscription in the Lydian script, a bas-relief depicting a Lydian woman and an inscription from the Roman period.

Works from Ephesus : Marble statue of Tyche (Roman period), statue of an abbot, head and hand of Domitianus, heads of women, head of the river god Kaistros (small Meander), head of Numfe, statue of a hunter, statue of Eros with a woman, statue of a Roman priest, statue of a philosopher, statues of Artemis and Cybele and Kuros.

Works from Aydin - Denizli : Piece of a marble bas-relief, head of Aphrodite, heads of men and women, grave stones, statuette of a goddess, statue of the Muse and the Amazon, statue of Hermaphrodite, grave stone and a bas-relief depicting the Dioscuri.

Works from Mugla : Bronze statue of Demeter (IV century BC), head of a woman, marble statue of Marsias, statue of a man, statue of a clerk (Roman period).

Works of the Archaic Period : Marble statues of lions from IV century 8C, bas-relief depicting a sphinx, building stones, stone column capitals, clay sarcophagus, Archaic heads.

Objects in the Show Cases : Gold, electron, silver and copper coins, seals, ring stones, a bronze sword, arrow heads, needles and strigli, faience figurines, ivory cylinders and seals, footed plates, vases, clay statues of gods, wine bowls and ceramics, pieces of wine bowls with red figures, perfume dishes, a Naukratis cup, gold diadems, rings, bracelets, necklaces, myrtle branches and leaves, beads, pieces of bronze figurine and statues, wolf-headed chair foot, clay figures, pieces with the twin axe sign of Zeus, leikythos, rython, kantharos and perfume bowls, stone mortar, lamps, tear bottles. These items belong to the Prehistoric, Archaic, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods.

Works Outside the Museum : Roman period marble sarcophagi, statues and gravestones, inscriptions and capitals from various periods and in various styles.

Izmir Art and Sculpture Museum (Resim ve Heykel Müzesi)

The museum was opened in a new building in 1973. Beginning with the primitives the museum exhibits examples of Turkish art and sculpture up to the present day. Special exhibitions are sometimes organised, and educational art studies are held.

Izmir Ataturk Museum (Atatürk Müzesi)

Ataturk House and Ataturk Museum in Izmir are situated on Ataturk Boulevard in the district of Gundogdu. Ataturk House was built from 1860-1862. It is used as a hotel for a while. Then in 1927 the Izmir Municipality who presented it to Ataturk bought it. Ataturk stayed here during his visits to Izmir, and after his death the house was preserved in its original state and turned into a museum.

Ataturk Museum is a two-story building whose facade is decorated with marble. The arched door leads to a long hall with doors opening onto side rooms and niches in the walls. To the right is a double flight of marble steps leading to the upper floor. At the foot of the stairs are statues. At the top of the stairs is a large carpeted room containing mirrors, statues and armchairs. There is a balcony facing the sea, a balcony room, and a bedroom on either side. The room to the south is Ataturk's bedroom, which has an Isparta carpet on the floor and velvet curtains at the windows. The room contains Ataturk's bedstead, bed covers, commode, a velvet sofa and armchairs, mirrors, upright chairs, and pictures. A door leads to an adjoining bathroom. The room to the north is the one, which the Shah of Iran, Riza Shah Pehlevi, stayed in when he visited Turkey as Ataturk's guest. This room contains a bed. In the other rooms of the museum are oil paintings, photographs of Ataturk, chests of drawers and mirrors, chandeliers, metal ewers, and bronze and marble statues.

Tire Museum (Tire Müzesi)

The Tire Museum was founded in 1935 in the Imaret Mosque in Tire, and in 1971 reopened in a new museum building.

There are some archaeological items, but most of the works in the museum are ethnographic.

There are four rooms on the upper floor, one of which contains archaeological items, while the other three contain ethnographical items.

Room I: This room houses the archaeological section, and contains Roman period statues, a clay sarcophagus, a marble Hermaphrodite, a bas-relief of Cybele, statues of lions, and Roman period lamps, dishes, figures, and glass perfume and tear bottles.

This room also contains gold Raman ornaments, and a collection of Roman, Byzantine and Islamic coins.

Rooms II - IV : These rooms contain examples of bindal embroidery (flower motifs worked in silver or gold thread), robes, jackets, handkerchiefs, purses for money, tobacco and seals, silver ornaments, gilded vases, censers.