Ege University Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum, embodied within the structure of the Natural History Research and Applications Centre, is the second largest Natural History Museum founded in Turkey after the Ankara Mining Investigations and Research Institute. Furthermore, it is the first academic museum in Turkey within a university which operates in affiliation with the Faculty of Science, with its Master of Science programme offered in the discipline of Natural History.

The Natural History Museum is an environment in which the treasures of nature are gathered, protected and displayed; it aims to present items of nature to the public within a clear systematic and evolutionary order. In addition, by means of conferences, films and slide shows, various natural phenomena (the creation of the planets, continents, oceans, volcanoes and earthquakes) as well as the evolution of life forms, and evidence for these, are more closely presented to the view of the public. These activities aim to inform the public and in particular students at primary and secondary schools, about all the natural phenomena which take place around us, to teach them to appreciate and protect nature, and to establish the awareness that we are all a part of nature. Besides this, it is emphasized for all sections of society that it is essential that all creatures in nature, especially birds and mammals which are in danger of becoming extinct, should be protected. In addition to these functions, the Natural History Museum is an environment in which scientific studies are carried out by scientists on natural material and research and education are developed with the support of cooperation at national and international levels.