Exporing where East meets West in Türkiye

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Wednesday, 22 April 2026 - Travel day from Cappadocia brought us to a cold, rainy Istanbul, so we spent the afternoon indoors at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. Highlights included Roman busts, the massive Medusa head, richly carved sarcophagi, and a striking glass Apollo sculpture. We ended the day near Galata Tower in the lively old city, adjusting to Istanbul’s historic, weathered atmosphere.

Today was a travel day from Cappadocia to Istanbul. We arrived in a cold rainy Istanbul so decided to do an indoor event, visit the Istanbul Archaeology Museum.

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The Roman fragment, likely from a colossal acrolith statue once standing around 25 feet tall, may represent Fortuna. Its scale and craftsmanship hint at the grandeur of early imperial religious sculpture from around 101 BC.
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A grouping of Roman and Greek portrait busts, showcasing the refined realism of classical sculpture and the importance of individualized identity in antiquity.
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The Sarcophagus of the Satrap, a 5th-century BC Phoenician funerary monument. It was unearthed in 1887 from the royal necropolis of Ayaa in Sidon, present-day Lebanon, by an Ottoman archaeologist. The monument features marble reliefs that exhibit a blend of Greek, Persian, and Levantine artistic influences. The carvings illustrate scenes related to the life of a Persian Satrap (governor), including scenes of a hunt and the satrap seated on a throne
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A modern interpretation of Apollo by Artem Martis, constructed from 12 tons of glass. The translucent material gives the classical subject a strikingly contemporary, almost ethereal presence.
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A giant marble head of the Gorgon Medusa located in the courtyard of the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. The sculpture was discovered in the area of the Forum of Constantine in Istanbul. It is a monumental Roman-era piece, likely dating from when the city was known as Constantinople.
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A 2nd-century AD Roman marble sculpture of a man, possibly depicting an emperor like Hadrian, originally from the ancient city of Cyrene, Libya.
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The Sarcophagus of Heleius and his Family, depicting a tragic inscription of a young boy killed in a horse accident. The relief combines narrative storytelling with emotional detail uncommon in earlier funerary art.
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The neoclassical facade of the Istanbul Archaeology Museums, reflecting the 19th-century Ottoman effort to present antiquities within a Western architectural framework.
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Clever marketing using the favored cat at an eyeglass store across from our hotel.

Our hotel was in the Galata Tower area and busy part of old Istanbul.
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