訪問日時：2010年5月7日午前12時頃
After the tour of Dolmabahce Palace, I came back to the old town by tram. At first, I went to the Silkezi station on the old town side.
The next stop was the Archaeological Museum. We walked there from Sirkezi.
It was established in 1881 to prevent the outflow of archeological artifacts from Turkey, which is a crossroads of Christian and Muslim cultures, many of which have been taken by Western countries.
Nevertheless, the museum contains many artifacts that have been excavated since its opening, and the Greek and Roman collections, including the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great, are highly regarded worldwide.
The first thing that impressed me was the number of sculptures. The floor was big enough and not so crowded, so I could appreciate them very comfortably. I love sculptures.
The Vatican, Rome, and the British Museum in London are the only museums that I can think of that have such a large collection of Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman sculptures, but I think that the collection was just as impressive and wonderful as those museums.
While I was sightseeing in a hurry in a short stay, I was able to appreciate it slowly and calmly in comparison, so I was relieved of fatigue.
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