Oldest coins of civilization history on display in Turkey

An exhibition sure to attract history buffs in Turkey's sunny Mediterranean resort city of Antalya has opened on Saturday.

According to a statement by the Suna Inan Kirac Research Centre for Mediterranean Civilizations (AKMED) -- the organizer of the event -- on Monday, the exhibition at Kaleici Museum features the oldest coins of civilization history, as well as weighing tools and equipments.

Among the artifacts displayed are coins minted by Lydians, an ancient kingdom of Anatolia known to be the first to have coins in the region.

Instruments for payment, and weighing tools from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia -- the ancient region extending from Iraq into present-day southeastern Turkey -- and the Ottoman Empire are also on display.

Oğuz Tekin, director of AKMED and curator of the exhibition, said in the statement that some of the artifacts will be on display for the first time.

"Although we don't know much about shopping places such as markets, bazaars in Mesopotamia and Egyptian civilizations in the Near East, it could be predicted that markets are established in the most suitable open areas of cities," Tekin said.

"With this exhibition, we bring history enthusiasts to a short journey in the most attractive, most lively centers of cities of various civilizations,” he added.

The exhibition will be open from Dec.1, 2018 to Aug. 31, 2019.