Istanbul Archaeology Museum

Playing: Don't Ask Me-Ok Go
Reading: Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources (Chapter 2 of my AP World Textbook)
I'm going to try to post, while school is going on, and try to get through all my Istanbul memories before they become fuzzy. Trying to sort through my Istanbul photos proved to be more work than I thought, so that's why these posts take me awhile to write out. I went to the Istanbul Archaeology Museum on my second to last day in Turkey and it costs 10 TL to get in, which made it one of the more inexpensive tourist attractions.

The main building of the Istanbul Archaeology Museum is home to many classical statues and things from Mesopotamia. There are burial artifacts too on the basement level from the Romans, I believe. I only looked at the basement level and the first floor because any higher than that was uninviting. The staircases weren't lit at all and it was rather dark, so I wasn't sure, if I was allowed to go up. The only reason I went was because my brother had gone up already. When I saw him, he told me he'd been on the 2nd and 3rd floors already and there really wasn't anything worth looking at. At the time I went, they had a special exhibit on the Roman Empire and the Sultans' jewels on the first floor, which were very impressive.

Across from the main building was a building dedicated to Muslim arts and the Muslim style of living. This museum was definitely more impressive than the other one, but I think I liked it so much because it's brightly lit using sunlight and it's very free and open. It was actually the home of someone before it was turned into a museum.

And then while I was inside, I decided to sneak in a photo of me using the Floo Network. Obviously, I'm off to go save the world with Harry Potter. (Excuse my derpy smile and awkward wave.) Seriously, there were a lot of wizard-y things in Turkey like the turrets on the mosques, the towers that peaked out of the city skyline, and the fire places that look like they're part of the Floo Network!

My brother and I were feeling a bit ill from being dehydrated, so we grabbed some drinks and a sandwich at their cafe outside. They have one outside, but the outside one has lovely seating that overlooks the royal gardens. I loved the Peach Nestea they had in Turkey  because it was more nectar like. Also, you can see, the audio tour system they use at the museum in the background. It's actually triggered by where you move. It'll turn on and start talking to you, when you enter the right room. Be warned, the cafe is expensive and my brother and I felt a tad ripped off. One sandwich and two cans of ice tea for 22 TL? Outrageous!

There are so many stray cats and dogs in Turkey and I loved having them around, especially the cats. I kind of miss the random cats, since I've returned home. I actually carried around food in my purse for the cats because I enjoyed feeding them so much. We ended up giving the kitty half of the sandwich we bought...

Then we headed back in to the main building to look at some of the Mesopotamian tile work. It's so cool to have seen these in real life because I learned about this stuff four years ago in history. I was surprised by how much I remembered about them and I find it amazing how they didn't just put these tile works on a plain wall, but added their own tile work to complement it. Overall, this museum was very nice, although a bit stuffy and warm during summer, and I think if you do have the time, you should visit it.

How's school treating you?

PS School isn't treating me well. I have tons of homework and tons of challenging classes to take. I no longer have the time or energy to craft, read as many blogs as I used to, or continue my John Steinbeck marathon. I was trying to read every single one of his novels, but school has momentarily stopped me. However, I'm still finding time to cook on the weekends.