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THE MUSEUM HOTEL ANTAKYA

2019 © themuseumhotelantakya

THE HOTEL

The story of The Museum Hotel Antakya is as epic as any ancient text and as intriguing as any contemporary classic.


The story of The Museum Hotel Antakya is as epic as any ancient text and as intriguing as any contemporary classic. Comprising 2,300 years of history – and counting – it rises from the dust of yesteryear to breathe new life into humanity's past, present and future.

The Asfuroğlu Family, who laid the foundations for a new hotel, was not aware of the awaiting miracle and its infinite impacts on the region. The discovery of historical artifacts while laying the foundation set them on a 10- year journey that would bring the past to life.

When the Asfuroğlu family broke ground for a new hotel in Antakya (ancient Antioch), little did they know what they would find or how it would change the region forever.
The initial discoveries were of such interest that the protection committee authorised the excavation of 29 wells, by hand, as part of a preliminary 2-month investigation into the site.

Following preliminary research, it was decided to drill in 29 spots. As the treasures on the hotel grounds were revealed, the excavation area was expanded to 17,312 square meters, making it one of Turkey's greatest systematic excavation sites since 1930.

From July 2010 to the end of July 2011, 35 archaeologists, 120 workers, and five restorer-architects worked continuously to make one of the most amazing discoveries of the twenty-first century.

Between May and December 2010, 120 excavators, 35 archaeologists worked day and night to clear the site of more than 100,000m3 of soil, revealing one of most astounding finds of the 21st century.
The excavation findings surpassed everyone’s expectations but also brought many hurdles

The search for a visionary (and, of course, dreamer) architect to design a modern hotel capable of protecting the underground treasures began on a national and international scale. Emre Arolat, owner of Turkey's award-winning architectural firm, EAA Architecture, was the sought-after visionary.

The installation of the 66 columns on which the building, which needed to be constructed with the utmost care, when built cost more than four times the initial price due to the precious treasures, but it was decided that it was worth it to preserve thousands of years of history.

The national and international search began for a visionary designer to create a structure that preserved the artefacts below while creating a luxury hotel above.
By July 2012, 312 pieces of precast reinforced concrete wall had been installed, insulated and filled around the site and the building’s construction work could begin.

Due to the priceless artefacts, the installation of the 66 columns from which the structure will rise, which will be performed with the utmost care, will cost more than four times the initial price, but it was deemed worthy in order to preserve centuries of history.

Over the coming years, 20.000 tons of structural steel – four times more than the Eiffel Tower – were hand-welded in a specialist factory near Istanbul.
With the priceless treasures dictating the painstaking placement of the 66 supporting columns

Construction started in July 2011. The project required around 20,000 tons of structural steel and 3,000 tons of rebar, with steel construction accounting for 90% of the total. The architect Emre Arolat described the Museum Hotel Antakya, which has 3 times the amount of steel used in the Eiffel Tower in Paris, as "a structure attached to the archaeological site."

construction costs soon swelled to more than four times their original estimate but still the team pressed on…
After more than 3000 days and 6 million man-hours, The Museum Hotel Antakya became the world’s first modern revival of an ancient heritage site

The Museum Hotel Antakya opened its doors as a modern masterpiece that brings a history to life after about 3,000 days and 6 million hours of work. This place has turned into a miracle that offers its visitors remarkable sensations, allowing them to travel across centuries while feeling the energy of the past on the one hand and adding their own stories to the layers of civilization on the other.

The site is home to approximately thirty thousand artefacts, the largest single-piece floor mosaic in the world, a Roman bath, and a wall that was built in the third century B.C.

From its 300 BC wall, 30.000 artefacts, world’s largest floor mosaic, Roman baths and breathtaking 2nd century Pegasus depiction to the city’s largest wellbeing hub