Mustafa Barış Harmankaya

Biography

Barış works as a Culture and Tourism Expert (archaeologist) at the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, a group of three archaeological museums housing a collection of more than one million artefacts.

He spends a significant portion of his time conducting fieldwork, including supervising rescue excavations at archaeological sites, conducting annual inspections of private museums and private collectors of cultural property, and preparing the corresponding reports. In addition, he serves as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s representative in matters related to temporary exhibitions held abroad and to archaeological excavations and surveys conducted by both Turkish and international research teams. He also undertakes administrative responsibilities when required.

Furthermore, in his capacity as an archaeologist, he prepares expert reports for the Istanbul courts.

Currently, Barış is overseeing the rescue excavations at the ruins of the 6th-century AD Church of St. Polyeuktos and the 5th-century AD Boukoleon Palace in Istanbul, both of which will be opened to visitors as open-air museums once excavation and conservation work is complete.

Barış completed his master’s degree in Museum Management at Istanbul University in 2024. His master’s thesis examined the Istanbul Airport Museum, which is one of the few museums in the world located within a fully operational airport.

Barış also has an interest in Greek and Roman architecture and worked in the Directorates of the Regional Councils for the Preservation of Cultural Property that make decisions for preserving immovable cultural assets, like ruins and monuments, in Istanbul.

While on the ITP Barış enjoyed comparing museological practices between Turkish and British museums, as well as gaining a further understanding of the excavation models of museums in the UK which provided insight into possible future legislative changes to improve the efficiency of excavations supervised by the museums in Türkiye. As well as this, Barış was interested in learning more about the use of technology in museums, specifically to encourage interactivity and enhance visitor experiences.

At the British Museum

During his time at the British Museum, Barış was based in the Department of Greece and Rome and his UK partner placement was spent at Lincoln Museum and the University of Nottingham Museum.

Barış’s participation on the International Training Programme was generously supported by the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust.