The Iasos Fish Market Open-Air Museum is an open-air museum located within the boundaries of Kıyıkışlacık Mahallesi, Milas district, Muğla province, Türkiye, consisting of a monumental tomb structure from the Roman period and surrounding architectural elements. Opened to visitors in 1995, the museum is located at the Iasos Ancient City archaeological site and serves as an area where both the structure itself and the archaeological artefacts unearthed during the Iasos excavations are displayed.
Iasos Fish Market Open Air Museum (Culture Portal)
History
The Iasos Fish Market Open Air Museum is mentioned in ancient sources as a settlement particularly known for its fishing industry. Strabo (XIV. 2. 21 c 658) reports that the people of the city earned their livelihood mainly from fishing due to the infertility of the land. The first organised archaeological studies in the city began in 1960 under the leadership of Doro Levi, director of the Italian Archaeological Institute.
The monumental tomb structure at the centre of the museum dates back to the 2nd century AD. The structure is located a few hundred metres outside the ancient city walls, among other tomb-shaped structures. Researchers who visited the city at the beginning of the 20th century suggested that this structure, which was largely buried underground, was the fish market (macellum) mentioned by Strabo. Due to this view, the structure is still referred to as the ‘Fish Market’ today. However, archaeological findings have revealed that the structure is a mausoleum from the Roman period.
Restored by the Ministry of Culture in 1993, the structure was opened to visitors in 1995 as the Fish Market Open-Air Museum.
Architectural Features
The monumental tomb complex is arranged in the form of a prostylos temple rising on a podium in the centre of a rectangular area (40 × 48 m). The dimensions of the tomb structure are approximately 10 × 7 m. The structure, which has four columns on its front façade, is located on a stepped platform. The tomb chamber is located on the floor of the temple.
The area is surrounded by porticoes consisting of arches on pilasters. One of these arcaded galleries is a surviving section of a water aqueduct dating back to the 1st century AD. The structure bears Syrian influences in terms of architecture.
Iasos Fish Market Open Air Museum (Culture Portal)
Artifacts and Exhibition Layout
The museum displays stone, marble, and terracotta artifacts from various periods that were excavated in and around the ancient city of Iasos. These artifacts include sculptures, architectural pieces, relief stones, altar stones, inscriptions, and floor mosaics.
One of the most important artefacts is a large stele inscription dating back to 196/195 BC, which contains a letter written by Laodice, wife of Seleucid King Antiochus III. The letter states that Laodice donated a large amount of wheat to the city to help it recover from a disaster.
Iasos Fish Market Open Air Museum (Culture Portal)
The museum collection covers a period ranging from the Archaic Period to the Byzantine Period. The works are displayed in the museum galleries in chronological and thematic order.
Current Status
The Iasos Fish Market Open-Air Museum is both an important archaeological structure reflecting the characteristics of Roman Period tomb architecture and a museum displaying artefacts documenting the historical development of the ancient city of Iasos. The structure and its surroundings are open to visitors after restoration and constitute an important stop on the Iasos archaeological site tourism route.
