Elmalı Museum

Elmalı Museum was established to document, preserve, and display the historical continuity of western Antalya and the northern part of Lycia. Located in the town center of Elmalı, the institution functions as an archaeology and ethnography museum showcasing artifacts excavated from significant archaeological sites in the region, including Karataş-Semayük, Bağbaşı, and Hacımusalar Höyüks. The museum’s inventory encompasses cultural assets spanning a broad chronology from the Late Chalcolithic period through the Early Bronze Age, Iron Age, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods.^【1】

History and Establishment of the Museum Building

The building in which the museum operates was not originally designed as a museum. Constructed with architectural features characteristic of the late Ottoman and early Republican periods, it was initially built as a "Government House" and used for administrative purposes. Over subsequent decades, the building underwent functional changes and served for many years as a "Girls’ Vocational High School."^【2】

Elmalı Museum (Antalya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism)

In response to the need to showcase the region’s archaeological potential, the building was allocated to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye. Following allocation, detailed survey, restitution, and restoration plans were developed, alongside concurrent exhibition and arrangement works. Upon completion of all these processes, the Antalya Elmalı Museum was officially opened to the public on 13 June 2011.^【3】

Architectural Structure and Spatial Organization

The museum complex consists of a registered historical building and an open-air exhibition area (garden) surrounding it. The entire site covers approximately 4,000 square meters. The main exhibition building has a three-level layout comprising a basement floor, ground floor, and first floor. The spatial organization is as follows:

• Basement Floor: Administrative offices, a conference hall, and a library are located on this level.

• Ground Floor: Exhibition halls numbered 1, 2, and 3 display archaeological finds arranged in chronological sequence.

• First Floor: Halls numbered 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 exhibit numismatic artifacts, the Elmalı Treasure, and thematic finds.

• Open-Air Exhibition (Garden): In the museum’s rear garden, large-scale artifacts such as sarcophagi, column capitals, and architectural sculptures that cannot be displayed indoors are exhibited.^【4】

Collections and Artifact Groups

The exhibition design of the Antalya Elmalı Museum is based on findings from scientific excavations and regional surveys. The collections are classified into three main categories: archaeological excavation finds, numismatic artifacts, and stone objects.

Archaeological Excavation Finds and Burial Traditions

The ground floor halls numbered 1, 2, and 3 are dedicated to artifacts illuminating the prehistoric periods of the region. The majority of these objects were recovered during excavations led by Machteld Mellink in the 1960s at Karataş-Semayük, as well as at the Hacımusalar and Bağbaşı höyüks.

Elmalı Coins (KVMGM)

The most striking element of the collection consists of "pithos burials" dating to the Early Bronze Age, which document the region’s burial customs. Three such pithos graves identified in the Karataş-Semayük necropolis are displayed in the museum in-situ—preserved in their original context. Inside and around these graves, grave goods, personal items, and ceramic vessels reflect the social status of the deceased and the belief systems of the period.

In addition, these halls present handmade ceramics, metal tools, loom weights, and seals produced from the Late Chalcolithic period onward, offering a chronological perspective on the development of social life and production in the region.^【5】

The Elmalı Treasure and Numismatic Artifacts

On the first floor (halls 4–8), the museum displays a numismatic collection of critical importance to the political and economic history of the region. The centerpiece of this section is the Elmalı Treasure, described in archaeological and historical literature as the "Treasure of the Century." This hoard, discovered through illicit excavations in 1984 and smuggled abroad, was returned to Türkiye in 1999 and dates to the 5th century BCE (480–460 BCE).

Comprising approximately 1,900 silver coins, the treasure includes coins issued by the Delian League and city-states of Lycia. The rarest piece is the "Athens Dekadrachm," believed to have been minted in commemoration of Athens’ victory over the Persians and known in only a limited number of examples worldwide. In addition to the treasure, the museum presents coins from Lycian city leagues, the Roman Empire, and the Byzantine Empire, arranged chronologically for visitors.^【6】

Votive Stelae and Stone Artifacts

A significant group within the museum’s collection consists of "Votive Stelae" (Offering Tablets), which reflect the folk beliefs of rural Lycia. These stone tablets, displayed in vitrines on the first floor, depict regional cults including the "Twelve Gods," Kakasbos, and other local deities. These artifacts serve as primary sources for understanding ancient religious rituals, votive practices, and iconography.

Votive Stelae (Antalya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism)

Outside the main building, in the open-air exhibition area of the museum garden, immovable cultural heritage items too large for indoor display are exhibited. This area features limestone sarcophagi, inscribed funerary stelae, column capitals, and various architectural sculptural elements dating to the Roman and Byzantine periods, documenting the evolution of architectural styles in Elmalı and its surroundings.^【7】

Significance in Historical Context

The Antalya Elmalı Museum holds a distinctive position in regional museology due to its continuous presentation of the archaeological stratigraphy of northern Lycia and western Antalya. Its internationally recognized numismatic collection, including the Elmalı Treasure, and in-situ evidence of local burial traditions establish it as a fundamental reference center for understanding the region’s history. The museum fulfills the critical role of preserving, documenting, and exhibiting archaeological finds from scientific excavations in the region, thereby contributing significantly to the sustainability of movable and immovable cultural heritage and the transmission of cultural memory to future generations.