NEW YORK – The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the opening of the Troy Museum as part of the 2018 “Year of Troy” celebrations, marking 20 years since the archeological site was officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
One of the world’s most important contemporary museums and selected from more than 150 projects by an internationally respected jury in the National Architectural Design Competition, the Troy Museum officially opened this month. One of many initiatives undertaken to commemorate the “Year of Troy,” the museum is expected to draw one million tourists in its first year alone.
The Troy Museum is located at the entrance to the Troy archeological site in Çanakkale, the historic setting of the Trojan War as recounted in Homer’s poem The Iliad. The main museum building, costing $13.2 million, was designed to be of equal height to the pre-excavation ancient city.
More than 3,000 years after falling to Greek forces, Trojan civilization will be brought to life in more than 150 exhibits, celebrating the 5,000 years of history and legend surrounding the ancient city. Visitors will be able to visit several themed areas including “Troas Area Archeology,” “Bronze Age of Troy,” “Iliad and Trojan War,” “Troas and Ilion in Antiquity,” “Ottoman Period,” “Archeology History,” and “Troy’s Traces.”
Around 2,000 archeological pieces from Troy and Troas will be displayed, including sculptures, inscriptions, sarcophagi, altars and coins. Central to the exhibits will be 24 pieces of gold jewelry, which were returned as a result of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey’s efforts, as well as Homer’s book, The Iliad, from Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace. The artifacts are accompanied by educational displays, animations, interactive films and simulations.
“The history and legends of Troy still hold a central place in modern Turkish identity, standing at a crossroads of civilizations and representing the intersection of eastern and western culture,” stated the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. “The new museum will bring to life this ancient civilization, preserving it for generations to come.”
