Guide to Museums in:


Ankara

Istanbul

TURKEY

ISTANBUL MUSEUMS

Istanbul is an area full of culture and there is so much to see and do in the city. So if you want to enjoy the capital’s finest museums and the many other delights there are on offer, what are you waiting for? If you use a flight comparison tool, you can save money and find cheap flights to Turkey, meaning you’ve got more to spend on your trip! It’s also good to take a look at a travel guide or two so you can plan your holiday well and fit in as much as you can during your stay.

The Istanbul Archaeology Museums is a group of three archeological museums located in the Eminönü district of Istanbul, Turkey, near Gülhane Park and Topkapı Palace. The Istanbul Archaeology Museums consists of Archaeological Museum (in the main building), Museum of the Ancient Orient and Museum of Islamic Art (in the Tiled Kiosk). It houses over one million objects that represent almost all of the eras and civilizations in world history. The ornate Alexander Sarcophagus, once believed to be prepared for Alexander the Great, is among the most famous pieces of ancient art in the museum. The museum has a large collection of Turkish, Hellenistic and Roman artifacts. The ornate Alexander Sarcophagus, once believed to be prepared for Alexander the Great, is among the most famous pieces of ancient art in the museum.

For more information regarding the Universeum please contact Istanbul Archaeology Museums Cankurtaran Mh., 34122 Istanbul, Turkey, location: İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri Alemdar Cad. Osman Hamdi Bey Yokuşu Sk, Sultanahmet Tel: (+90) 212 520 77 40 - 41

Court and entrance to The Istanbul Archaeological Museum

The Rahmi M. Koç Museum is a private industrial museum in Istanbul, Turkey dedicated to history of transport, industry and communications. The museum is located in the suburb of Hasköy on the north shore of the Golden Horn and situated in two historical buildings connected to each other. It is open to public every day except Monday. Most of the items exhibited in the museum are selected from Rahmi Koç's private collection. Other objects are either borrowed from or donated by various organizations and individuals. Original machines and their replicas, scientific and mechanical items make up the basis of the museum's exhibits.

For more information and enquiries please contact Rahmi M Koç Museum, Hasköy Cad. No: 5, Hasköy 34445, Istanbul, Tel: (0)212 369 66 00 01 02, E-mail: info@rmk-museum.org.tr

The Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, located at the European side of the Bosporus, served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1922, apart from a twenty-year interval (1889-1909) in which the Yıldız Palace was used. The palace is composed of three parts; the Mabeyn-i Hümâyûn (or Selamlık, the quarters reserved for the men), Muayede Salonu (the ceremonial halls) and the Harem-i Hümâyûn (the Harem, the apartments of the family of the Sultan).

For more information and enquiries please contact Dolmabahçe Street, Besiktas, Istanbul, Tel: 0(212) 236 90 00 / 1522 - 1523

View of Dolmabahçe Palace from the Bosporus
Photograph taken by SBarnes

The Great Palace Mosaic Museum is located close to Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul, Turkey, at Arasta Bazaar. The museum houses mosaics from the Byzantine period, unearthed at the site of the Great Palace of Constantinople. The museum hosts the mosaics used to decorate the pavement of a peristyle court, dating possibly to the reign of Byzantine emperor Justinian I (r. 527-565). Excavations discovered a large peristyle courtyard, with a surface of 1872 m², aentirely decorated with mosaics. The mosaic represents the largest and most beautiful example of landscape mosaics in late antiquity. Its exceptional quality of workmanship probably points to its construction by an imperial workshop employing the best craftmen gathered from all corners of the Byzantine Empire, guided by a master artist.

Entrance at Torun Sok. Across from the entrance to the Sultanahmet Palace Hotel; accessible through Arasta Bazaar to the southeast of Blue Mosque. For more information and enquiries please contact at Büyük Saray Mozaikleri Müzesi Torun Sok. Arasta Çarşısı Sultanahmet - İSTANBUL, Tel: +90 (212) 518 12 05

Floor mosaic of a woman carrying a pot (c. 5th century)
seen inside The Great Palace Mosaic Museum

The Beylerbeyi Palace is located in the Beylerbeyi neighbourhood of Istanbul, Turkey at the Asian side of the Bosphorus. An Imperial Ottoman summer residence built in the 1860s, it is now situated immediately north of the 1973 Bosphorus Bridge. The palace looks its most attractive from the Bosphorus, from where its two bathing pavilions, one for the harem (women's only) and the other for the selamlik (men's only), can best be seen. One of the most attractive rooms is the reception hall, which has a pool and fountain. Egyptian reed matting is used on the floor as a form of insulation. The crystal chandeliers are mostly French Baccarat and the carpets are from Hereke.

For more information and enquiries please contact at Beylerbeyi Palace, Cayirbasi Cad, Beylerbeyi-Istanbul, Tel: +90 216 3219320

Beylerbeyi Palace from the Bosphorus
Photopraph taken by Roweromaniaka Wielkopolskiego

The SantralIstanbul is an arts and cultural complex located at the upper end of Golden Horn in the Eyüp district of Istanbul, Turkey. The center, consisting of a modern art museum, an energy museum, an amphitheater, concert halls and a public library, is situated within the Silahtarağa campus of Istanbul Bilgi University that was formerly the first power station of the Ottoman Empire.

For more information and enquiries please contact at SantralIstanbul, Eski Silahtaraga Elektrik Santrali, Kazim Karabekir Cad. No: 2/6, Eyup 34060, Istanbul, Turkey, Tel: 0213 311 78 09, E-mail: info@santralistanbul

SantralIstanbul Modern Art Museum

The SantralIstanbul Power Station was a coal-fired generating station located in Istanbul Turkey. The Ottoman Empire's first power plant, it was in use from 1914 to 1983. The site has since been converted into a university campus for the Istanbul Bilgi University and houses two museums and several facilities. The Energy Museum at SantralIstanbul shows the remaining generating equipment is preserved as part of the display at SantralIstanbul energy museum. Situated in the turbine hall with three generator groups, the museum is a collection of the steam turbines, the electrical generators and the equipment of the former SantralIstanbul power plant, on display in almost original conditions. Original relay and control instrumentation and wiring is visible. There are many examples from dozens of former and existing manufacturers. Most impressive is the large scale of equipment which was once necessary to generate only a few dozen Megawatts.

For more information and enquiries please contact at SantralIstanbul, Eski Silahtaraga Elektrik Santrali, Kazim Karabekir Cad. No: 2/6, Eyup 34060, Istanbul, Turkey, Tel: 0213 311 78 09, E-mail: info@santralistanbul

One of the old power stations, now housing the SantralIstanbul

is a cultural center established by the Quincentennial Foundation to inform the society of the traditions and history of Turkish Jewry. Jewish Museum of Turkey includes sections on the intermingling cultures of Jewish and Muslim Turks and ethnographic articles that depict the traditions of Turkish Jews, as well as the historical accounts of the Jewish odyssey from Spain to Turkey. The octagonal main hall on the entrance floor information panels related to the history of the Zülfaris Synagogue, the Hahambaşı institution, daily life of Jews living in Istanbul and Anatolia, as well as artifacts such as letters, maps, tallits, fermans (imperial decrees) are on display. The lower, ground floor is organized chronologically as an ethnographic section with photographs, paintings and objects pertaining to birth, circumcision, wedding, clothing, jewelry, etc.

For more information and enquiries please contact Karakoy Square, Perçemli Str. (the rear of Selanik Pasajý) 34420 Karakoy / Ýstanbul, Tel: +90 (212) 292 63 33 / 34, E-mail: info@muze500.com

Istanbul Naval Museum is a national naval museum of the Republic of Turkey, located in Istanbul. It was established in 1897. The museum contains an important collection of military artifacts pertaining to the Ottoman Navy.

For more information and enquiries please contact Hayrettin İskelesi Sok.80690 Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Tel: 0212 327 4346

Garden of the Istanbul Naval Museum
Photograph taken by David Bjorgen