Two warehouse museums to be established in Istanbul
ISTANBUL
Some artifacts in the warehouses of the Istanbul Archeology Museums will be taken to Atatürk Airport and some to an area bought by the Culture and Tourism Ministry in Maltepe district, where “warehouse museums” will be established.
Speaking about the issue, Istanbul Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism Coşkun Yılmaz said that Istanbul is one of the richest cities in the world in terms of both the number of works and historical value.
“The Istanbul Archeology Museums are one of the most prestigious and important museums in the world, both with its architecture and historical past. Every decision taken regarding this place is made with great care. In the collection of Istanbul Archeology Museums, there are approximately 800,000 artifacts. This is a huge and precious collection,” he said.
Yılmaz stated that 30 percent of the artifacts were found in Istanbul during excavations carried out throughout Turkey.
Noting that most of the artifacts in the Istanbul Archeology Museums collection are preserved in warehouses, Yılmaz said: “Some of the artifacts unearthed during the Marmaray excavations are preserved in the buildings we call Darphane-i Amire and Kimyahane [Chemistry House]. It is urgently necessary to protect these artifacts against natural disasters such as earthquakes. For this reason, the Culture and Tourism Ministry has allocated two areas, one in the Atatürk Airport and the other in Maltepe on the Anatolian side, and these two places will be evaluated as a warehouse museum as soon as possible.”
