Museum of Troy shortlisted for European award

A museum in the ancient city of Troy -- now in present-day Turkey -- was shortlisted for the European Museum of the Year Award, the Turkish culture and tourism minister said on Friday.

Opened in 2018 in the western Turkish province of Canakkale, the Museum of Troy was shortlisted for the award organized by the European Museum Forum, supported by the Council of Europe, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said in a statement.

"One of the most important contemporary archaeological museums in the world, our Museum of Troy was shortlisted at the European Museum of the Year Award in 2020," Ersoy said on Twitter, sharing a photo of the museum.

"I congratulate all those who contributed to the museum which was nominated among many museums," Ersoy added, also thanking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Winner to be announced on May 2020

The winner of the European Museum of the Year Award will be announced at a ceremony at the end of the annual conference of the European Museum Forum, which will be held in Cardiff, Wales, from April 29 to May 2, 2020.

Last March, Turkish President Erdogan officially opened the museum, which was constructed as part of a project that passed a competition organized by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2013.

Among the other 61 shortlisted candidates are the National Museum of Scotland, Athletic Bilbao Museum in Spain, Museum of Warsaw in Poland and the Anne Frank House in the Netherlands.

The European Museum Forum said on its website that the award will be given to a museum that "contributes most directly to attracting audiences and satisfying its visitors with a unique atmosphere, imaginative interpretation and presentation".

In 1997, the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the Turkish capital Ankara won the European Museum of the Year Award.

The Museum of Troy is located next to the Troy archeological site, one of the most famous ancient sites in the world, with 4,000 years of history.

Troy was immortalized by the ancient Greek poet Homer in his epic The Iliad, telling the story of the last year of the decade-long Trojan War.