Museum of Ancient Oriental Works Entrance
One of the three buildings of the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, holding material from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia and the pre-Greek Near East.
- At the gate
- £8.50
- Allow
- 1h 30m
- District
- Sultanahmet
- Closed
- Open daily
The Museum of the Ancient Orient, in short
One of the three buildings of the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, holding material from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia and the pre-Greek Near East.
It is where the genuinely ancient objects are u2014 several thousand years older than anything in the classical collection next door.
What it costs
u20ac10, covered by the same ticket as the Archaeological Museums. Included on the pass.
Getting there
In Sultanahmet, in the Archaeological Museums complex below Topkapu0131 Palace. Take the T1 tram to Gu00fclhane.
How long to allow
Forty-five minutes, as part of a longer visit to the three museums together.
What to see
The glazed brick lions and dragons from the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, a copy of the Treaty of Kadesh u2014 the oldest known peace treaty, agreed between Egypt and the Hittites around 1259 BC u2014 and Sumerian and Akkadian cuneiform tablets.
The building itself was constructed as a School of Fine Arts and converted to a museum when the school moved.
Frequently asked questions
- Artefacts from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia and the pre-Greek Near East, including material from the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and Sumerian cuneiform tablets.
- The building was originally a School of Fine Arts and became a museum after the school relocated.
- No. It is one of the three Archaeological Museums buildings, covered by a single admission and included on the pass.
- The oldest known peace treaty, agreed between the Egyptians and the Hittites around 1259 BC. A copy is displayed here.