İstanbul
Tips and Suggestions
Places you shouldn't leave Istanbul without visiting...
Topkapı Palace Museum
Sultanahmet. Open every day except Tuesdays. The Harem Section requires
a separate ticket that you purchase when you visit the Palace. Group tours
of the Harem take place between 9:30 and 15:30. 0212- 522 4422 / 512 0480-5
Topkapı Palace, the home of the Ottoman Sultans since 1459 (Mehmet the
Conqueror first built a palace in 1453 where the University of Istanbul
now stands, but six years later moved to the present location), is the
largest and most important monument of Ottoman civil architecture in the
world. Its extensive buildings and gardens not only have beautiful views
but are also home to an invaluable collection of jewels, illuminated manuscripts,
porcelains, armor, calligraphy, textiles and many other works of art belonging
to the Sultans.
Hagia Sofia Museum
Sultanahmet Square, Ayasofya. Open every day except Mondays from 9.30
- 16.30. 0212 528 4500
(Detailed info is above)
İstanbul Archaeology Museums
Osman Hamdi Bey Road, Gülhane, 0212 520 7740 . Open every day except Mondays.
Visiting hours: 9.30-17.00. The Istanbul Archaeology Museums consist of
three museums: the Archaeology Museum, Museum of the Ancient Orient and
the Çinili (Tiled) Kiosk Museum.
Archaeology Museum
The vast collection housed here was begun in 1846 when Fethi Ahmet Pasha,
son-in-law of Mahmud II, collected antiquities from all over the empire
and stored them in the Haghia Irene Church. Despite various attempts to
identify and catalogue the collection, it was not until 1881 when Osman
Hamdi Bey was made its director that it became Turkey's first museum in
the form that we see today. Up until his death in 1910, Osman Hamdi Bey
succeeded in establishing one of the great museums of Europe with not
only the famous collection of Byzantine and Greco-Roman pieces but also,
housed in the separate Museum of the Ancient Orient, a unique collection
of pre-Islamic Arab artifacts, Babylonian and Assyrian antiquities, a
small Egyptian collection and the Hittite cuneiform cylinders for which
the Museum is renowned. Also a part of the Archaeology Museum is the Çinili
(Tiled) Kiosk, the oldest Ottoman secular building in Istanbul, Persian
in design and décor and now home to Turkish tiles and ceramics.
Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art
Sultanahmet Square. Open daily from 9:30-5:00 p.m. except Mondays. 0212
518 1805. Originally housed in the imaret, or public kitchen, of the Mosque
of Suleyman the Magnificent, this first collection wholly devoted to works
of Turkish and Islamic art was moved to its present site in 1983. The
restored palace, the greatest private residence ever built in the Ottoman
Empire, belonged to Ibrahim Pasha, one of Suleyman's Grand Viziers, and
now houses a splendid collection of pottery and glass, early Turkish carpets,
metalwork and gold and silver jewellery, calligraphy and manuscripts and
Kur’an cases…
Little St. Sofia Mosque or Ss. Sergius and Bacchus Church… Wonderful
tiles…
Just a 10-minute walk from the Armada is what was originally the Church
of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, constructed by Justinian and Theodora in
527, a few years before the construction of the present church of Haghia
Sophia was begun. Belonging to the same great innovative period architecturally,
Ss. Sergius and Bacchus served as a church for nearly a thousand years
before being converted to a mosque in 1504. It is called "Little
Haghia Sophia" because of its resemblance to the Great Church.
Rüstem Pasha Mosque versus "Proving of the power by decoration..."
Eminönü, Tahtakale. Open every day during prayer time…
The most beautiful of Sinan's
smaller mosques, it was commissioned in 1561 by Rüstem Pasha, twice Grand
Vizier under Suleyman the Magnificent and husband of Princess Mihrimah,
the Sultan's favorite daughter. This mosque, which can only be visited
during prayer times, is of an unusual design, built on a terrace with
a beautiful courtyard; but it is most famous for the fine Iznik tiles
which cover almost all of the walls.
A CD about this mosque and about Iznik tiles in general is available
in Turkish/English through the following links: www.forumist.com
e-mail:iznik@kariye.mim.itu.edu.tr
Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Mosque & Complex- Extraordinary tiles...
Another beautiful, smaller mosque…This was built by Sinan in 1571-2 for
Esma Sultan, daughter of Selim II and wife of Grand Vizier Sokullu Mehmed
Pasha, after whom the mosque was named. Above the door, surrounded by
a design in gold, is a fragment of black stone from the holy Kaaba in
Mecca, while some of the walls are covered in beautiful Iznik tiles. This
charming mosque is a short walk from the Armada on Şehit Mehmet Paşa Street
in Sultanahmet near the main road (Divanyolu) that leads to the Grand
Bazaar.
Chora (Kariye) Museum - Magnificent mosaics...
Edirnekapı. Open every day except Wednesday from 9:30-16.00 hrs. 0212
631 9241.
The church of the Holy Savior in Chora, known in Turkish as the Kariye
Camii, is the most important Byzantine Church in Istanbul after the Haghia
Sophia, not for the building itself but for the beautiful mosaics and
frescoes that decorate its walls. The present church was built by Maria
Dukaina, mother-in-law of Byzantine Emperor Alexius I. Komnenos, between
1077 and 1081. The interior was partially rebuilt and the frescoes and
mosaics, added by Theodora Methochites in the period 1315-1321, were dedicated
to Jesus Christ, whose life is portrayed in the mosaics. The frescoes
and mosaics are the most important Byzantine works in Istanbul and considered
to be among the finest examples of Byzantine mosaic art in Europe.
The church was converted to a mosque in the early 16th century, but most
of the mosaics and frescoes were preserved under a layer of plaster and
have been restored and cleaned.
Carpet and Rug Museum
Sultanahmet Mosque Complex, Sultanahmet, 0212 518 1330.
Mostly Turkish carpets and kilims (flat weave rugs) important in the history
of carpet weaving and design.
Museum of Classical Ottoman (Divan) Literature, Galata Mevlevi
Lodge, Whirling Dervishes
Galip Dede St. Tünel, Beyoğlu. Open every day except Monday from 09.30-16.00.
0212 245 4141.
The Mevlevi Lodge, which is located at the top of the steep street going
from Tünel down to Yüksekkaldırım, is the oldest Mevlevi Lodge of Istanbul.
It was constructed in 1491 on the hunting grounds of İskender Pasha, who
was governor-general during the reign of Sultan Bayezid. The Mevlevi Lodge
was built as a complex and contained rooms and areas for prayer-chanting,
dervish cells, the quarters of the master (şeyh), a special prayer (namaz)
area for the Sultan, a separate section for female members, a library,
a fountain for the public, a clock room, kitchen, mausoleums and an enclosed
graveyard. Whirling dervishes perform their ritual prayers on the second
and fourth Sundays of each month...
Haghia Irene Museum - One of the Istanbul Festival venues…
Topkapı Palace, Sultanahmet, 0212 522 0989. Open daily except Mondays
and Tuesdays until 17.00. Visit requires a special permit.
The Church of Haghia Irene (now known as the Aya Irini Museum) has been
one of the most important performance venues for the Istanbul Festival
since 1973, the year that the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and the
Arts organized the very first edition of the festival. Haghia Irene, like
Haghia Sophia, is one of the largest and most striking of all the Byzantine
churches. Most historians, including the early ones like Theophanes and
Codinus, attribute the commissioning of Haghia Irene to Constantine the
Great. This great church was gutted by fire during the Nika Revolt, but
was later rebuilt by Justinian. Although the church has remained essentially
unchanged since that time, the surviving monument has been through many
restorations due to fires (397, 404, 564, etc.) and earthquakes (768)
which caused significant damage. After the Ottoman conquest in 1453, Haghia
Irene was never converted to a mosque, as were many Byzantine churches,
but instead was used as an imperial arsenal. In 1846 it became a museum
of antiquities, and in 1874 it was converted to a museum of military history.
In 1946 the collections of armaments were removed and archaeological excavations
revealed the remains of two ancient temples, dedicated to Apollo and Aphrodite,
within and around the church grounds.
The Haghia Irene Museum has an audience capacity of 1,123.
Listening to music here is a very special privilege and a great pleasure
during the International Istanbul Music Festivals.
Dolmabahçe Palace Museum - In competition with the palaces of
the Russian Czars…
Beşiktaş. 0212 258 5544. Open daily except Mondays and Thursdays. In winter,
from 09-00-15.00, in summer, 09.30-16.00.
Built in the mid-19th century by Sultan Abdülmecit, it has an impressive
600-meter frontage on the Bosphorus. The most important area is the vast
reception salon with 56 columns, and a huge, seven hundred and fifty-bulb
crystal chandelier weighing 4.5 tons. The architecture of the Harem is
in stark contrast to that of the rest of the palace. The Aviary, where
birds from all over the world were kept, is unique to this palace. Ataturk,
founder of the Turkish Republic, died here on the 10th of November, 1938.
The Rahmi M Koç Museum
The Rahmi M. Koç Museum is the first major museum in Turkey dedicated
to the history of transport, industry and communication. Housed in magnificent
historic buildings that are prime examples of industrial architecture
on the shore of the Golden Horn, the collection contains thousands of
items, from gramophone needles to full-size ships and aircraft. The location
is unrivalled - romantic, historic, convenient to both the Old City and
the new. And the appeal is universal: objects that affect our daily lives,
created by talented engineers and craftsmen, encapsulating man's ingenuity
and hard work yet at the same time exhibiting great beauty. Closed on
Mondays. Visiting hours: Tuesday-Friday: 10:00-18:00 / Saturday-Sunday:
10:00-19:00
Address: Rahmi M Koç Museum Hasköy Cad. No: 27 Hasköy
80320 - Istanbul
Tel: (0)212 297 6639-40
Faks: (0)212 297 6637
Web: http://www.rmk-museum.org.tr
Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum
The building, known as the Equestrian Villa, today serves as the Sabancı
University Sakıp Sabancı Museum, along with the Gallery recently constructed
in the park, after having accommodated the Sabancı family for over fifty
years. The Villa and the Gallery, which have been renovated to conform
to international museology standards, are pioneers in Turkey, in that
they are fully equipped with numerous state-of-the-art facilities and
a strong infrastructure. The selected works of the Sakıp Sabancı Museum
that comprise of over four hundred works of calligraphy of the 15th through
the 20th centuries and more than three hundred paintings dating from the
19th and 20th centuries, are exhibited in the 3500-square meter exhibition
areas of the museum.
Closed on Mondays
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday - 10:00-18:00
Saturday-Sunday: 11.00-17.00
Address: İstinye Cad. No:22 Emirgan 80850 İstanbul
Tel : 0 212 277 22 00 Fax : 0 212 229 49 14
Web : http://muze.sabanciuniv.edu
E-mail : muze@sabanciuniv.edu
Suna & İnan Kıraç Foundation Pera Museum
The Pera Museum is housed in an historic building constructed in 1893
in the once-prestigious Pera district that is gradually regaining its
fashionable status. Known until recently as the Bristol Hotel, this structure
is now host to a fully-equipped modern museum containing permanent collections
of Orientalist paintings, Anatolian Weights and Measures and Kütahya Tiles
and Ceramics, along with three floors of changing exhibitions. The permanent
exhibition “Portraits from the Empire” presents a panorama of the last
two centuries of the Ottoman Empire and includes the renowned painting,
The Tortoise Trainer by Osman Hamdi Bey. A walk through this historic
district is a ‘must’ during your stroll from Tünel to Galatasaray, as
is a visit to the renowned Pera Palace Hotel nearby.
Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00-1900; Sunday, 12:00-18:00.
Address: Meşrutiyet Cad. No. 141, Tepebaşı, Beyoğlu 34443 Istanbul
Tel: 0212 334 9900. Fax: 0212 245 9511. Web: www.peramuzesi.org.tr
Istanbul Modern (Istanbul Museum of Modern Art)
Istanbul Modern is Istanbul’s long-awaited first museum dedicated to modern
Turkish art, opened in 2004 on the site of a former warehouse in Tophane,
on the southern shore of the Bosphorus just a kilometer north of the Galata
Bridge. With its mission of being a living museum and cultural center,
the vast complex contains galleries that exhibit the principal trends
in Turkish art since the early 20th century, including a sculpture garden,
media area, photography gallery, library, educational gallery and workshops
and a theater, “Arthouse” with a diverse program of films, concerts and
performances. Exhibitions from the permanent collection of the museum
are updated at regular intervals with contributions from other important
collections in Turkey, acquisitions and loans.
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00-18:00; Thursdays, 10:00-20:00.
Address: Meclisi-i Mebusan Cad. Liman Sahası, Antrepo No. 4, Karaköy Istanbul
Tel: 0212 334 7300. Fax: 0212 243 4319. Web: www.istanbulmodern.org.tr
Santralistanbul Museum
The earliest power plant of Turkey on an urban scale was preserved and
reintroduced to Istanbul as a complex of public functions. In addition
to the Museum of Energy, created by the preservation and transformation
of the old engine rooms, santralistanbul incorporates spaces for contemporary
artistic and cultural activities, a public library, open air recreation
areas, international artist’ residencies and educational units. The museum
is open everyday between 10am – 8pm, except Mondays.
Eski Silahtarağa Elektrik Santrali Kazım Karabekir cad. No:1 Eyüp. Tel:0212
311 78 09
http://www.santralistanbul.org
If you have time…a few others...
The Great Palace Mosaic Museum…
"In situ" exceptionally fine mosaic pavements of the
fifth and sixth centuries, remainders from the Great Palace of the Byzantine
emperors…
Arasta, Sultanahmet. 0212-518 1205. Open daily except Tuesdays from 09.30-17.00.
This museum opened to the public in 1953, and consists of the remains
of the Great Palace of the Byzantine empire built by Constantine the Great
(324-337). Excavated in 1935, these remains consist of mosaics, columns
and other architectural pieces that had once been part of Great Palace.
Part of the Bazaar of the Sultan Ahmet Mosque Complex is also exhibited
in this museum. On the surviving parts of the mosaics we can still count
90 different themes populated by some 150 human and animal figures.
Sadberk Hanım Museum - Two charming 19th century wooden yalıs…
Piyasa St. No: 27- 29, Sarıyer. 212-242 3813-14 . Closed on Wednesdays.
Visiting hours: October to March: 10.00 - 17.00, April to September: 10.30
- 18.00.
The Vehbi Koç Foundation Sadberk Hanım Museum occupies two separate buildings.
The original building is a three-story (plus attic) wooden mansion that
is generally believed to have been built in the late 19th century and
whose architecture was inspired by European vernacular traditions. The
building, constructed of wood and lathe-and-plaster on a masonry foundation,
was known as the "Azeryan Yalı". The conversion to a museum
was carried out between 1978 and 1980 according to a restoration project
prepared by Sedat Hakkı Eldem. Archaeological works are now exhibited
here. The second building is known as the Sevgi Gönül Wing" and it
houses works from the pre-Islamic period. In 1988 the Sadberk Hanım Museum
was awarded the Europa Nostra award as an outstanding example of modern
museum architecture and design. For further info: www.sadberkhanimmuzesi.org.tr/
e-mail: shm@mail.koc.net
Special interest museums…
Adam Mickiewicz Museum
Sakızağacı St., Tarlabaşı 0212 253 66 98 Open everyday between 09.00-17.00
hrs.
The house where the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz spent his last years
and died in 1855 in Tarlabaşı, Beyoglu, was converted to a museum on his
centenary in 1955, in cooperation with the Polish Ministry of Culture
and Art.
Cartoon Museum
Atatürk Bulvarı, Kovacılar St. No:12, Fatih. 0212 521 1264. Open daily
except Mondays from 09:00-18:00.
For something different, visit the Caricature and Cartoon Museum in Fatih
on Atatürk Boulevard under the Bozdogan Aqueduct in the 16th-century Gazanfer
Ağa Medrese.
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Armada Hotel
