Turkey’s Istanbul Airport has opened an airport museum, available to all international passengers, joining San Francisco Airport’s SFO Museum and Rijksmuseum at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
Istanbul Airport Museum launches with the ‘Treasures of Turkey: Faces of the Throne’ exhibition, featuring art from different eras in Turkish history.
In addition, Istanbul Airport Museum boasts introductory information on 18 places in the country listed as World Cultural Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
The attraction elevates Istanbul Airport from a global hub with outstanding passenger services to a venue for culture and art.
‘Treasures of Turkey: Faces of the Throne’
Kadri Samsunlu, CEO of İGA Airport Operation Inc, said: “We want to turn the time spent at the airport into an unique experience. Our aim is to turn our passengers attention on art and culture.”
‘Treasures of Turkey: Faces of the Throne’ is displaying 316 different objects from 29 museums in Turkey, as well as artefacts including the ‘Kadesh Treaty’, the first peace treaty in the history of humanity.
The exhibition also boasts pieces of the prehistoric Göbeklitepe and Çatalhöyük eras, as well as historic artefacts belonging to Anatolian civilisations and other periods.
“With this museum, we have been able to gather some original artefacts under a single roof, which would otherwise be impossible to set eyes on at a single time,” added Samsunlu.
‘Turn passengers attention on art and culture’
Istanbul Airport Museum is open between 9am and 9pm daily. Admission costs €5, although the museum offers free admission to guests under the age of 8.
Airport attractions are taking off across the globe, with Jewel Changi Airport leading the way when it comes to ‘traveltainment’.
Chubu Centrair in Japan has an airport theme park, Munich International Airport is home to a brewery, and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has two mini museums.
Earlier this year, AmazeVR launched its first location-based virtual reality experience with an installation at Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea.
