The Istanbul Archeology Museum threw open the doors Friday to its ancient Troy exhibition, shut for years due to lack of funds, just in time for the world premiere of the movie "Troy" starring Brad Pitt.
Ancient Troy is located in the northwest of modern-day Turkey, not far south of Istanbul.
The museum hall, which contains ancient Greek relics including a statue of the head of Zeus and Trojan jewelry, was closed in 1995 because there were not enough guards, director Halil Ozek told Reuters.
But heightened interest from foreign tourists and Turkish visitors ahead of the release of "Troy" prompted the Culture Ministry to hastily reopen the Troy section, Ozek said.
"There has been intense interest of late. Undoubtedly, this film has helped increase the interest quite a bit," he said.
The $200 million "Troy," which opens worldwide Friday, is adapted from Homer's "The Iliad" and chronicles the legendary conflict between Greeks and Trojans over the abduction of Helen. Pitt plays the Greek hero Achilles.
Despite Turkey's wealth of archeological and historical sites, its museums suffer from a lack of personnel and funding.
One of the country's finest, the Istanbul Archeology Museum was founded in the late 19th century and houses Greek, Roman, Byzantine and other ancient artifacts.
Experts say many Trojan treasures are housed in European museums after archeologists in the 19th-century excavated and removed artifacts from Turkey.
