Museum sights in Turkey
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Göreme Open-Air Museum
One of Turkey's World Heritage sites, the Göreme Open-Air Museum is an essential stop on any Cappadocian itinerary and deserves a two-hour visit. First an important Byzantine monastic settlement that housed some 20 monks, then a pilgrimage site from the 17th century, the cluster of rock-cut churches, chapels and monasteries is 1km uphill from the centre of the village.
Follow the cobbled path until you reach Aziz Basil Şapeli, the chapel dedicated to Kayseri-born St Basil, one of Cappadocia's most important saints. The grate-covered holes in the floor were the graves of the chapel's architects and financiers; the small boxes contained less-affluent folks' bones. In the …
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Istanbul Archaeology Museums
It may not attract the number of visitors that flock to nearby Topkapı, but this stunning museum complex is already one of the city’s top attractions. It can be easily reached by walking down the slope from Topkapı’s First Court, or by walking up the hill from the main gate of Gülhane Park. The complex is divided into three buildings: the Archaeology Museum (Arkeoloji Müzesi), the Museum of the Ancient Orient (Eski Şark Eserler Müzesi) and the Tiled Pavilion (Çinili Köşk). These museums house the palace collections formed during the late 19th century by museum director, artist and archaeologist Osman Hamdi Bey and added to greatly since the republic. While not immediately…
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Atatürk Congress & Ethnography Museum
Opposite the Kale Camii is the imposing Ottoman school building that hosted the Sivas Congress in 1919. Today it's a museum (enter via the rear).
The extensive Ottoman ethnographical collection, displayed on the ground floor, features a fine selection of kilims and carpets, including some impressive examples showing local weaving style; a demonstration of pillowcase-making (another local craft); a 12th-century wooden mimber from Divriği's Ulu Cami; and dervish ceremonial beads, weapons and mystics' caps.
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Fethiye Museum
Reopened after a two-year refit and focusing on Lycian finds from Telmessos as well as the ancient settlements of Tlos and Kaunos, the museum exhibits pottery, jewellery, small statuary and votive stones (including the important Grave Stelae and the Stelae of Promise). Its most prized significant possession, however, is the so-called Trilingual Stele from Letoön, dating from 358 BC, which was used partly to decipher the Lycian language with the help of ancient Greek and Aramaic. The garden surrounding the museum contains an excellent lapidary of mostly Lycian sarcophagi and Roman tombstones, some of them portraying early Christian symbols and angels.
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Dolmabahçe Palace
These days it’s fashionable for architects and critics influenced by the less-is-more aesthetic of the Bauhaus masters to sneer at buildings such as Dolmabahçe. The crowds that throng to this imperial pleasure palace with its neoclassical exterior and over-the-top interior fit-out clearly don’t share their disdain, though. More rather than less was certainly the philosophy of Sultan Abdül Mecit I, who, deciding that it was time to give the lie to talk of Ottoman military and financial decline, decided to move from Topkapı to a lavish new palace on the shores of the Bosphorus. For a site he chose the dolma bahçe (filled-in garden) where his predecessors Sultans Ahmet I …
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Florence Nightingale Museum
The experience of visiting the Selimiye Army Barracks, where this museum is housed, is actually better than the museum itself. The barracks, built by Mahmut II in 1828, is on the site of a barracks originally built by Selim III in 1799 and extended by Abdül Mecit I in 1842 and 1853. It is the headquarters of the Turkish First Army, the largest division in the country, and is an extremely handsome building, with 2.5km of corridors, 300 rooms and 300 windows. During the Crimean War (1853–56) the barracks became a military hospital where the famous lady with the lamp and 38 nursing students worked. It was here that Nightingale put in practice the innovative nursing methods t…
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Castle of St Peter
When Tamerlane invaded Anatolia in 1402, throwing the nascent Ottoman Empire temporarily off balance, the Knights Hospitaller based in Rhodes took the opportunity to capture Bodrum. By 1437 they had erected the Castle of St Peter, which they continued to augment with new defensive features – including moats, walls and water cisterns – over the ensuing decades. However, in 1522, when Süleyman the Magnificent captured the Knights' headquarters in Rhodes, the Bodrum contingent was forced to abandon the castle without having ever truly tested its fearsome defensive capabilities. The castle fell into decline during the succeeding centuries and suffered some shell damage during…
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Rahmi M Koç Industrial Museum
Hasköy, located on the Beyoğlu side of the Golden Horn, was for centuries a small, predominantly Jewish, village. In the Ottoman period it also became home to a naval shipyard and a sultan’s hunting ground. Today, its main claim to fame is this splendid museum dedicated to the history of transport, industry and communications in Turkey. Founded by the head of the Koç industrial group, one of Turkey’s most prominent conglomerates, it exhibits artefacts from İstanbul’s industrial past. The collection is highly eclectic, giving the impression of being a grab-bag of cool stuff collected over the decades or donated to the museum by individuals, organisations or companies who d…
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Museum of Turkish & Islamic Arts
This impressive museum is housed in the Palace of İbrahim Paşa, built in 1524 on the western side of the Hippodrome. İbrahim Paşa was Süleyman the Magnificent’s close friend and brother-in-law. Captured by Turks as a child in Greece, he was sold as a slave into the imperial household in İstanbul and worked as a page in Topkapı, where he became friendly with Süleyman, who was the same age. When his friend became sultan, İbrahim was made in turn chief falconer, chief of the royal bedchamber and grand vizier. This palace was bestowed on him by Süleyman the year before he was given the hand of Süleyman’s sister, Hadice, in marriage. Alas, the fairy tale was not to last for po…
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Galata Mevlevihanesi
If you thought the Hare Krishnas or the Harlem congregations were the only religious orders to celebrate their faith through music and movement, think again. Those sultans of spiritual spin known as the ‘whirling dervishes’ have been twirling their way to a higher plane ever since the 13th century and show no sign of slowing down soon. The Mevlevi tarika (order), founded in Konya during the 13th century, flourished throughout the Ottoman Empire. Like several other orders, the Mevlevis stressed the unity of humankind before God regardless of creed. Taking their name from the great Sufi mystic and poet, Celaleddin Rumi (1207–73), called Mevlana (Our Leader) by his disci…
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Military Museum
For a rousing museum experience, present yourself at this little-visited museum located 1km north of Taksim. Try to visit in the afternoon so that you can enjoy the concert given by the Mehter, which occurs most days between 3pm and 4pm. The large museum is spread over two floors. On the ground floor are displays of weapons and Turkish military uniforms through the ages, as well as glass cases holding battle standards, both Turkish and captured. These include Byzantine, Greek, British, Austro-Hungarian, Italian and Imperial Russian standards. Also on show are an old-fashioned diorama of the Conquest and a tapestry woven by Ottoman sailors (who must have had lots of time o…
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Aya Sofya Museum
One of Trabzon's star attractions, the Aya Sofya Museum, originally Hagia Sophia (Church of the Divine Wisdom), is 4km west of the centre on a terrace that once held a pagan temple. Built in the late Byzantine period, between 1238 and 1263, the church was clearly influenced by Georgian and Seljuk design, although the marvellous wall paintings and mosaic floors follow the prevailing Constantinople style.
It was converted to a mosque after the conquest in 1461, and later used as an ammunition storage depot and hospital by the Russians, before being fully restored in the 1960s.
Enter through the western entrance into the vaulted narthex to view the best-preserved, vividly col…
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Antalya Museum
On no account should you miss this comprehensive museum about 2km west of the centre and accessible on the tramvay (tram). The museum is large, with exhibitions in a dozen large halls that cover everything from the Stone and Bronze Ages to Byzantium, so allow sufficient time. Unmissable are the Hall of Regional Excavations, which exhibit finds from Lycian (eg Patara and Xanthos) and Pamphylian cities; the Marble Portraits Hall, with evocative busts bearing incredibly realistic expressions and emotions; and the sublime Hall of Gods.
Even those not especially interested in Greek mythology will be moved by this collection, which includes representations of some 15 Olympian go…
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Pera Museum
The most beloved painting in the Turkish canon – Osman Hamdı Bey’s The Tortoise Trainer (1906) – sold at auction in late 2004 for a massive US$3.5 million. Turks were worried that the painting might be lost to the nation, so there was rejoicing when this new, privately funded museum announced that it had been the successful bidder and that the painting would be the focal point of its wonderful Orientalist painting collection. Acquired by Suna and İnan Kıraç over decades, this collection consists of more than 300 paintings with Turkish Orientalist themes. Its canvasses by Turkish and European artists provide fascinating glimpses into the Ottoman world from the 17th to…
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Aya Sofya
Emperor Justinian (527-65) had the Aya Sofya (known as Haghia Sofia in Greek and also called Church of the Divine Wisdom) built as part of his effort to restore the greatness of the Roman Empire. Recognised until 1453 as the greatest church in Christendom, Mehmet the Conqueror had it converted into a mosque until 1935, when Atatürk proclaimed it a museum.
On entering his great creation for the first time almost 1500 years ago, Justinian exclaimed, 'Glory to God that I have been judged worthy of such a work. Oh Solomon! I have outdone you!' Entering the building today, it is easy to excuse his self-congratulatory tone. The interior, with its magnificent domed ceiling soar…
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Naval Museum
Landlubbers and salty seadogs alike will enjoy a visit to this museum of Turkish naval history, which is located on the Bosphorus shore close to the Beşiktaş ferry terminal. Though the Ottoman Empire is most remembered for its conquests on land, its maritime power was equally impressive. During the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent (r 1520–66), the eastern Mediterranean was virtually an Ottoman recreational lake. The sultan’s navies cut a swathe in the Indian Ocean as well. Sea power was instrumental in the conquests of the Aegean coasts and islands, Egypt and North Africa. Discipline, logistics and good ship design contributed to Ottoman victories. Exhibits focus on two …
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Museum of Wooden Artefacts & Stone Carving
On the western side of the Alaaddin Tepesi ring road is the İnce Minare Medresesi (Seminary of the Slender Minaret), now the Museum of Wooden Artefacts & Stone Carving. This religious school was built in 1264 for Sahip Ata, a powerful Seljuk vizier, who may have been trying to outdo the patron of the Karatay Medresesi, built only seven years earlier.
The extraordinarily elaborate doorway, with bands of Arabic inscription running all round it, is far more impressive than the small building behind it. The octagonal minaret in turquoise relief is over 600 years old and gave the seminary its popular name. If it looks a bit short, this is because the top was sliced off by lig…
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Jewish Museum of Turkey
In the late 15th century, Isaac Sarfati, Chief Rabbi of Edirne, wrote the following to brethren in Germany: ‘Brothers and teachers, friends and acquaintances! I, Isaac Sarfati, proclaim to you that Turkey is a land wherein nothing is lacking, and where, if you will, all shall yet be well with you…Here, every man may dwell at peace under his own vine and fig tree.’ At around the same time, Sultan Beyazıt II proclaimed ‘…the Jews of Spain should not be refused, but rather be welcomed with warm feelings’. Alas, this enlightened state didn’t last through the centuries, and Jewish Turks were made to feel considerably less welcome when racially motivated ‘wealth taxes’ were int…
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Great Palace Mosaics Museum
When archaeologists from the University of Ankara and the University of St Andrews (Scotland) dug at the back of the Blue Mosque in the mid-1950s, they uncovered a stunning mosaic pavement dating from early Byzantine times. Restored from 1983 to 1997, it is now preserved in this museum. Thought to have been added by Justinian to the Great Palace, the pavement is estimated to have measured from 3500 to 4000 sq m in its original form. The 250 sq m that is preserved here is the largest discovered remnant – the rest has been destroyed or remains buried underneath the Blue Mosque and surrounding shops and hotels. The pavement is filled with bucolic imagery as well as intricate…
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Rahmi M Koç Industrial Museum
In the old Çengelhan the new Rahmi M Koç Industrial Museum is perfect for kids (and adults) who prefer a hands-on approach to staring at a bunch of pots behind glass, and has slightly less emphasis on transport than its original branch in İstanbul .
Walk straight ahead once you've entered the gate and you'll see, on your left, the citadel mosque, the Alaettin Camii, which dates from the 12th century but has been extensively rebuilt.
To your right a steep road leads to a flight of stairs taking you up to the Şark Kulesi (Eastern Tower), with panoramic city views. Although it's much harder to find, the tower at the north, Ak Kale (White Fort), also offers fine views. If …
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Mevlevi Monastery
The Museum of Court Literature in the Mevlevi Monastery, is one of only a handful of functioning tekkes (dervish lodges) remaining in İstanbul. It's a slightly run-down compound and is really only worth visiting if you're here to see the sema (ceremony), and/or you feel like catching respite from the hubbub of Beyoğlu in the pleasant, shady gardens.
As you approach the tekke, notice the graveyard on the left and its stones with graceful Ottoman inscriptions. The shapes atop the stones reflect the headgear of the deceased, each hat denoting a different religious rank. The tomb of Galip Dede, the 17th century Sufi poet who gave his name to the street, lies here.
Inside th…
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Museum of Underwater Archaeology
The space in the Castle of St Peter that was once used to store booty collected during underwater archaeology missions, now houses Bodrum's Museum of Underwater Archaeology. It is arguably the most important museum of its type in the world, a veritable lesson in how to bring ancient exhibits to life. Items are creatively displayed and well lit, and information panels, maps, models, drawings, murals, dioramas and videos all help to animate them.
It's undoubtedly one of the best museums in Turkey, not to mention the Mediterranean (and could teach some of the cupboard-like Victorian museums in the West a thing or two!).
The views from the battalions are spectacular and worth …
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Miniaturk
We can’t explain why this new museum has been such a hit with locals. Marketed as a miniature park that showcases ‘all times and locations of Anatolia at the same place at the same time’, it’s a bizarre tiny town stocked with models of Turkey’s great buildings – everything from the Celsus Library at Ephesus to Atatürk International Airport – set in manicured lawns dotted with fake rocks blasting a distorted recording of the national anthem. Children aren’t interested in the models but love the miniature train that traverses the paths and the playground equipment. It’s tacky and only really interesting as a demonstration of how greatly Turks revere their heritage, even whe…
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Museum of Anatolian Civilisations
The superb Museum of Anatolian Civilisations is the perfect introduction to the complex weave of Turkey's ancient past, housing artefacts cherry-picked from just about every significant archaeological site in Anatolia.
The museum is housed in a beautifully restored 15th-century bedesten (covered market). The 10-domed central marketplace houses reliefs and statues, while the surrounding hall displays exhibits from the earlier Anatolian civilisations: Palaeolithic, neolithic, chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Assyrian, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartian and Lydian. The downstairs sections hold classical Greek and Roman artefacts and a display on Ankara's history. Get there early to avoid t…
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Museum of Anatolian Civilisations
Still proudly displaying its 1997 Best European Museum award, this is the perfect introduction to the complex weave of Turkey's chequered past. It's home to artefacts discovered in most excavations throughout the country, taken from nine different civilisations. Even the museum itself is an artefact, housed in a beautifully restored 15th-century bazaar.
The 10-domed central market building houses reliefs and statuary, while the surrounding halls display exhibits from the earlier Anatolian civilisations: Palaeolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Assyrian, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartian and Lydian. The downstairs sections holds classical Greek and Roman artefacts and…
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