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After I finished visiting some historic structures from the Ottoman and Seljuk eras in Konya, I visited two of the museums in the city – the archaeology and ethnography museums.
Konya Archaeology Museum
First was the Konya Archaeology Museum (Konya Arkeoloji Müzesi). Admission is free (as of August 2024) and it’s open daily. I walked through the courtyard and saw several ancient sarcophagi before going inside.
The museum doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the inside contains some of the most ornate and incredible ancient Hellenistic and Roman period sarcophagi that I have ever seen. The sarcophagi in the courtyard don’t compare to what I saw in the building. They’re as equally impressive as the ones located at the Istanbul Archaeology Museums.
Each sarcophagus has figures beautifully carved out of marble. It’s worth paying attention to the fine details of these ancient works.
I also saw a few other interesting artifacts, such as an ash box and the skeleton of a baby. Items spanning the Prehistoric, Iron Age, and Byzantine eras were also represented, as well as other time periods.
Konya Ethnography Museum
My final stop of the day was another museum a short five minute walk away. The Konya Ethnography Museum (Konya Etnografya Müzesi) is located in a sort of uninviting building. It must not get many visitors at all, probably because it’s off the beaten path. It looked closed but once inside, the staff turned on all the lights for me. Was it worth seeking out? Not really, but there were a few interesting pieces inside that gave clues to what traditional life was once like in the city. Admission is free (as of August 2024) and it’s open daily.
