Müze deneyiminin geliştirilmesi: Hatay Arkeoloji Müzesi örneği

This study examines the Hatay Archaeological Museum, one of the most distinguished state museums in Turkey. The Museum?s uniqueness, indeed, lies in the quality of its rich mosaic collection comprised primarily of mosaics from ancient Antioch and its immediate vicinity, which rend the Museum one of the richest mosaic museums in the world, second after the Bardo National Museum of Tunisia. The city of Antioch was a vital metropolis known for its sophistication, for its wealth and prosperity, and for its setting along trade and communication crossroads.Since museums have been regarded as storage rooms and transmitters of national ideology in the modern era, they have been collection-oriented until the 1960s. The emergence of new philosophies, such as post-modernity and post-structuralism, affected the ontology of museums as well. In addition to their role of preserving, transmitting, and interpreting, in the present day, museums are also recognized as powerful centers for lifelong learning. Responding to the demands and expectations of the public, museums have developed new functions and approaches, and consequently, new departments in their organizational structures in order to establish mutual communication with their visitors, to enhance the museum experience for visitors, and to reach out to wider audiences. New developments include education programs, varied exhibition techniques, marketing tools and techniques, visitor studies, membership and volunteer programs, and diverse visitor facilities.In this context, this study asserts the necessity of the establishment of museum-visitor interaction and the enhancement of the museum experience at the Hatay Archaeological Museum through determination of the needs, and suggestions for possible museum offerings. The mosaic collection and the cultural and historical significance of the region should be communicated better in an appropriate way. In this regard, one form of education and communication tool is particularly emphasized: the production of a mosaic guidebook.