Adana Museum was founded in 1924, right after the declaration of the republic, and is one of the 10 oldest museums in Türkiye.
Official Turkish Museums
The museum, which was first established by collecting the surrounding column capitals and sarcophagi in the police department, was opened to visitors in 1928 in the madrasah of the Cafer Pasha Mosque, as a result of the appointment of Halil Kamil Bey as director and his successful work.
Official Turkish Museums
In 1950, it was moved to Adana Kuruköprü Memorial Museum, which was located in Kuruköprü and was used as the Ethnography Museum for a while.
Tarhunda (Tarhunna, Tarhunza) Statue, Official Turkish Museums
Over time, the distinguished works from the early ages of Çukurova, especially those found in the excavations of Tarsus Gözlükule (1934), İçel Yumuktepe (1936), Yüreğir Misis (1958) and Ceyhan Sirkeli-Tatarlı Mound, were collected in the museum and due to the museum building becoming insufficient, the museum was moved to the building where it served for many years in 1972. However, a new museum building was needed because this museum building became inadequate for the protection, storage and display of cultural assets. It was decided that the “National Textiles Factory”, located in the Seyhan district of Adana and one of the first factories of the city, would be restored and evaluated as the Adana New Museum Complex. Adana Museum, whose exhibition and arrangement works have been completed, has been serving in its new building since 2017.
Official Turkish Museums
Tarsus Gözlükule, Mersin Yumuktepe, Misis, Karatepe, Soğuksutepe, etc. in Adana Museum. There are artifacts unearthed during archaeological excavations in mounds and settlement areas and artifacts compiled from Adana and its surroundings.
Akhilleus Sarcophagus, Official Turkish Museums
In the museum, there are prehistoric artifacts and stone artifacts such as sculptures, inscriptions, sarcophagi, stele and architectural pieces from the Hittite, Assyrian, Phoenician, Phrygian, Archaic, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods; There are pottery and various vessels made of terracotta, cylinder and stamp seals, coins and other archaeological findings.
Official Turkish Museums
Especially the Tarhunda (Tarhunna, Tarhunza) Statue and the Achilles Sarcophagus are among the important works to be seen in the museum. Sixteen mosaics from the Roman period are exhibited in the mosaic hall of the museum, which opened in 2018. The most well-known of these are the “Hippocampus and Eros Mosaic” and “Noah’s Ark Mosaic”.
Click to visit the museum virtually.
Source: Adana Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism
Places to Visit in Adana
Source: Adana Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate
