/ HOSPI TA LI TY /
1
MODERNDAY HOTEL, ANCIENT SITE THE MUSEUM HOTEL ANTAKYA, DESIGNED BY EMRE AROLAT ARCHITECTURE, FLOATS ABOVE ONE OF THE 21ST CENTURY’S MOST ASTOUNDING ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS. WORDS REDZMAN RAH MAT / P HOTOGRAPH Y C E MAL EMDEN, EMRE DORTER, RUSSO ROBERTO, ST UDIO MAJO
W
hen the Asfuroğlu family was preparing the site of its proposed five-star luxury hotel, they broke
ground to an unexpected discovery. Beneath the riverbed in Antakya, Turkey, they discovered the 2,300-year-old ruins of the ancient city of Antioch. The location is found a few kilometres away from what is now modern Antakya, home to an important Christian pilgrimage site, the St. Pierre Church. This discovery completely derailed the original plans for the site. But instead of foregoing the initial plans of building a world-class hotel, the family decided to embrace the challenge of building said hotel
1. The Museum Hotel Antakya stands guard over a 2,300-year-old archaeological site that is the ancient city of Antioch.
around the archaeological site. The result? A mixed-purpose architectural landmark that cleverly, and carefully, juxtaposes the modern amenities of a luxury hotel with the public offering of a state-owned, open-air archaeological park. Today, The Museum Hotel proudly shares its
premises
with
the
Necmi
Asfuroğlu
Archaeology Museum. 35,000
ancient
artefacts
(from
13
civilisations that date back to the third century BCE) co-exist alongside a modern, 200-room architectural wonder.
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