Topkapı Palace
The sultans’ palace on Sarayburnu: courtyards, the Imperial Council, the treasury and the terraces over the water. Dated entry, sold online on its own site.
Karadeniz Ereğli Museum
A museum in Karadeniz Ereğli, the ancient Herakleia Pontika on the Black Sea coast, a town steeped in the myth of Heracles and Kerberos and home to Turkey's coal story.
About the museum
Karadeniz Ereğli is much more than a Black Sea industrial town. Its history reaches back to around 2500 BC, and it stands at a crossing point of Anatolian civilisations. According to tradition it was founded around 550 BC when Dorian settlers took control of the local Mariandynoi people, and later it was known as Herakleia Pontika.
Its identity is built on myth. In the Iliad, Homer describes the Zonguldak coast as the homeland of volunteer soldiers who fought at Troy. The best-known story concerns Heracles, who came here to capture Kerberos, the three-headed dog guarding the gates of Hades, and the town is said to take its name from him. In Greek mythology, the entrance to the underworld is at Ereğli, and it is a curious echo that burning stones, coal, were found here in 1829.
The museum belongs to this setting. Information on its displays is limited, so it is best to check the official page for what is on show, and to read a little on Heracles and Kerberos before you go.
Tips
- The Cehennemağzı Caves, tied to the same myth, are in the same town but were listed as closed at the time of writing.
- Read a short account of Heracles and Kerberos beforehand; it explains the town's name.
- Check the official page for current hours and displays.
Questions
When is Karadeniz Ereğli Museum open?
According to the Ministry’s listing it opens at 08:30 and closes at 19:00 (last entry 17:30). Closed: Monday.
Can I buy tickets for Karadeniz Ereğli Museum on this site?
No. This site sells no tickets. Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sophia and Dolmabahçe Palace are sold on our sister sites; for Karadeniz Ereğli Museum, buy at the ticket office or on the Ministry’s official e-ticket system.
Where is Karadeniz Ereğli Museum?
Karadeniz Ereğli Museum is in Zonguldak, Türkiye — Orhanlar Mah. Yalı Caddesi, No:96.
Nearby
Zonguldak
Zonguldak Mining Museum
Turkey's first mining museum, in the coal city of Zonguldak, telling the story of hard coal, the miners' working lives and the social world of the basin.
Zonguldak
Tios (Filyos) Archaeological Site
The ancient Black Sea port city of Tios at Filyos in Zonguldak province, notable as a Greek-Roman coastal city not buried beneath modern settlement.
Yozgat
Sarıkaya Roman Baths
One of the few Roman thermal bath buildings in Anatolia, in the spa town of Sarıkaya in Yozgat, where the hot spring still rises beneath the structure.
More museums in Zonguldak
Istanbul tickets online
Four Istanbul landmarks, each sold on its own site by the agency behind this guide — dated entry and free cancellation up to 24 hours.
Basilica Cistern
Justinian’s great underground reservoir: 336 columns in still water and the two Medusa heads. Fast-track entry with a digital audio guide.
Hagia Sophia
Justinian’s cathedral, the sultans’ mosque and a working mosque again today. The ticket admits you to the upper visitor gallery.
Dolmabahçe Palace
A nineteenth-century palace on the water’s edge: the Selamlık, the Ceremonial Hall under its chandelier, the crystal staircase and the Harem.