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Work is still being carried out at the Hatay Archaeology Museum in southern Türkiye after the facility was damaged in the 2023 Kahramanmaras-centered earthquakes. According to AK Party Deputy Chair Huseyin Yayman, who toured the site and received briefings from the contractor team, the museum is expected to reopen in phases, with access planned by the end of 2026.
Before the earthquakes, the museum housed around 37,000 artifacts. Yayman said the total is expected to rise to 40,000 once the renewal and strengthening works are completed, adding that the collection has been kept under protection in storage facilities across the city during the rebuilding process.
The museum entered a reconstruction period after suffering severe damage in the disaster, with works focusing on strengthening the building and renewing its spaces so it can be brought back into use.
During his visit, Yayman underlined the museum’s standing as one of the world’s largest mosaic museums and described it as a place that had been among the destinations people “should see before they die.”
He said the building, like much of Hatay, suffered extensive damage, and pointed to the role of Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy in pushing the work forward. In a notable remark, he stated: “Hatay Archaeology Museum was one of the world’s largest mosaic museums… It was one of the places that should be seen before you die.”
Yayman said that once the museum reopens, the collection count is planned to increase from roughly 37,000 to 40,000 artifacts.
He also described the wider recovery effort as extending beyond housing, presenting it as an attempt to “build up a life” again in Hatay, including culture, arts, and public spaces alongside physical reconstruction.
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