Add a review about the Museum of Turkish and Islamic art

To fully saturate the unique eastern color of Istanbul and understand the history of Turkey, it is not enough to visit a third-party viewer in mosques or to quickly explore the luxurious Sultan's chambers in the former palaces . The authentic past of this country is collected in museums, who saved historical relics and cultural values ​​. In the very center of Istanbul, on the busy Sultanahmet square, where the racecourse was built during the Roman Empire, one of such treasures - mu Turkish and Islamic art . In the building of a dark brick, similar to a small fortress, there are kept masterpieces of Turkic art . Having been there, besides acquaintance with the precious works of Muslim civilizations, you can see with your own eyes how the higher nobility lived during the times of greatness Ottoman Empire .

The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art is located in the ancient building - the palace of Ibrahim Pasha, which became a wedding gift to the faithful vizier from Suleiman the Magnificent.

A bit of history

Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art is located in a historic building - Ibrahim Pasha Palace, which was a wedding gift to the faithful vizier of Suleiman the Magnificent. The Ibrahim Pasha residence dating back to the 16th century is considered one of the most grandiose mansions in the history of the Ottoman Empire and the oldest in Istanbul along with Topkapi

The museum dates back to 1914, when it was called the Efkafi Islamee Museum (which means the museum Islamic Foundation) and huddled in the dining room of the Suleymaniye Mosque. The museum received its current name after the proclamation of the Turkish Republic, and moved to the palace in May 1938. In 1984 the museum was awarded a special prize of the Council of Europe, and in 1985 its activity on the cultural field was also assessed by UNESCO.

Museum exposition

More than 40,000 exhibits are distributed among seven large expositions: carpets, manuscripts and calligraphy, woodwork, glass and ceramics, art forging and ethnography. Usually masses of visitors gather around the exposition, which presents personal belongings and ornaments of some sultans of the Ottoman Empire, but other exhibitions and collections are no less interesting. However, everything is in order.

In the section of carpets not just expensive Ottoman carpets are collected, but real long-livers. Some products were 400-500 years old, and I must say that they were perfectly preserved for their solid age. In addition to locally made carpets, the collection presents samples of Iranian carpet weaving and Caucasian countries

Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art

The manuscripts section contains hundreds of letters, various drawings, texts of decrees of Ottoman rulers and the main value - manuscripts of the 15th-17th centuries n. e. All this is, of course, the originals.

The section of wooden products brings to your attention delicious interior items, authentic elements of living quarters and even carved wooden tombstones, and in the ceramics section you can see elegant lamps, ceramic sets and a luxurious collection of tiled tiles. Prepare cameras, there is something to memorize.

The art forging section is dedicated to the everyday life and economy of the Ottoman Empire, household items made of brass and silver are exhibited here. Candlesticks, washbasins, combs, utensils - which is not here!

Despite the fact that this is the youngest section of the museum, it has not the last significance. The local exhibits provide an opportunity for people familiar with all things to come into contact with the life of the peoples of Anatolia

And the last section, ethnographic, shows visitors the national Ottoman garments, decorative objects of the premises, weaving looms and even yurts.

Useful information

Address: Sultanahmet, At Meydani, 46.

Working hours: Tuesday - Sunday: 9:30 - 17:00, Monday: closed.

Input: 10 TRL. The museum is included in the Museum Pass Istanbul program (the cost of a three-day card is 85 TRL, a five-day card costs 115 TRL.)

You can get to the museum by tram to the Sultanahmet stop. The entrance to the museum is on the side of the square opposite the Blue Mosque. Even for a quick inspection, you will need about two or three hours, if you like a thorough and unhurried visit, add an hour or two to this time.


All prices are for November 2014