Museums

ANADOLU FORTRESS                                                                                            Yıdırım beyazid ( 1389 – 1402 )built the Anadoluhisarı, or anatolian fortress,On the narrowest spot brtween the two shores of the bosphorus upon his return from the niğbolu campaign in 1390 in order to control the passage of ships to and from the black sea.Fatih sultan mehmed ( mehmed, the conqueror )  reinforced this fortress while building the Rumelihisarı, or Rumeli fortress, which is right across the bosphorus on the European side, just before the conquest of constantinople in 1453 

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM                                                                           Located between the Gülhane park and Topkapı Palace, the Archaeological museum houses a remarkable  collection of graecoroman antiquities .Osman Hamdi bey, an important otoman painter ,  was appointed in 1881 as the first director of this museum, which has the distinction of being the first building in turkey to habe been built for the sole purpose of housing  a musium. Osman Hamdi bey spent thirty years collecting antiquities for the museum until his death in 1910. some of the most important objects housed in this museum are the sarcophagus of alexander and the sarcophagus of the mourning women ( dated ca. 350 BC.) excavated by Hamdi bey in syria in 1887. the museum was opened to visitors in 1986 . as the collection grew, new wings were added to the museum in 1902 and 1908. it presently consists of thiirty-six halls, twenty on the flor and sixteen on the upper. This musium was recognised as the ‘musium of the year ‘ by the European councin in 1992. opposite the archaeological musium is the çinili köşk, or tiled pavilion, which was built in 1472 by sultan mehmed, the conquerer. When the imperial residence shifted to the Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856, the abandoned çinili köşk was used to store archaeologicel objects. It now contains a collection of turkish tiles.

AŞİYAN MUSEUM                                                                                                     This museum is located in the former residance of the famous poet Tevfik Fikret ( 1867 – 1915 ) Tevfik fikret built this house below the campıs of Robert college ( now the campus of buğaziçi university ) in 1906 and lived the last nine years of his life here.The estate was the Express pupose of establishing a literary museum, and was opened to the public in 1945.This museum’s collection consists of photographs of the participants of the edebiyati cedide movement, the “new lateratur” movement , the personal belongings of Tevfik Fikret and the woman poet Nigar hanım, the library and memorabilia of the poet abdülhak hamit Tarhan, two oil paintings by abdulmecid II as well as the artwork and memorabilia of Tevfik Fikret.

ATATÜRK MUSEUM                                                                                                     Open to the public since 1942 , house was the residance of Mustafa kemal Atatürk in 1919 just before he departed for anatolia to organise the struggle for national liberation against the allied occupation following World war I Restored in 1991 by the municipality of istanbul, the museum contains atatürk’s personal belongings, military uniforms and decorations, manuscripts, photograps and portraits done by the some of the leading painters of the period.

AVIATION MUSEUM                                                                                                     The museum was first established in İzmir in 1971 İ closed in 1979 and moving to its present location in istanbul, was reopened in 1985.The museum which has exhibits outside the building as well as inside, also contains a cinema, meeting hall and cafeteria.There are propeller planes, jet engine fighter, cargo planes, chppers and aviation weapons .Photographs, badges, medals and personel effects of turksh pilots are also being displayed.

BEYLERBEYI PALACE                                                                                                  Situated along the banks of asian side of the bosphorus in the district of beylerbeyi, this Palace complex consists of the main Palace building plus five pavilions (köşk).The architect sarkis balyan, the brother of the architect responsible for the Dolmabahçe Palace Built this modern Palace for sultan Abdülaziz in 1861-65.Similar in style to the Dolmabahçe Palace, this sumptuously furnished residence built of white marble served mainly as a summer house and lodging for visiting royalty from abroad.                                                                                                                          

CITY MUSEUM                                                                                                                First opened in 1939 in the Beyazıt medrese, this museum was moved in 1988 to its present side in the fine arts hall of yıldız Palace. The museum portrays the life of istanbul through a collection of 18th and 19th century paintings, as well as historicaland ethnographic objects such as glassware, china,textiles and metalwork. 

DOLMABAHÇE MUSEUM                                                                                           Located along the coast of the bosphorusin Beşiktaş , 300 yards from the Beşiktaş ferry-boat quay, this Palace is the grandest imperial otoman residence. It was constructed by the armenian architects karabet and nikagos balyan for sultan abdülmecid (1839–91) who preferring a more modern residence, decided to move out of the Topkapı Palace.The construction of this sumptuous Palace was fhnished in 1853, and the royal family abandoned the imperial residence of Topkapı which had served as a home for the otoman household for almost four centuries. Dolmabahçe was the imperial residence of all subsequent otoman sultans, with the exception of abdulhamid II ( 1876–1909 ) who preferred living in the more secluded yıldız Palace. An apartment within it served as Atatürk’s residence in istanbul and he died there during his last Visit to istanbul on 10 novenber 1938. After extensive restorations, it was trasformed into a museum. From time to time it is used for gala official function as well.

The side of Dolmabahçe, which literally means “filled in garden”  was in byzantine times an inlet on harbor filled in and made into a garden. The palace’s magnificent marble facade faces the bosphorus. One enters through the gardens after passing throung the main South gate. Taking up the space of 250,000 square meters,the entire Palace complex consists of 285 rooms six of which are hamams and 43 salons. Two-thirds of Palace consists of the women’s quarters (haremlik).

The palaca’s sumptuous interior was decorated by the famous french decorator sechan and is reminiscent of french palaces and villas. Among the riches and opulent furnishings found here are paintings done by well-known European artists commissioned by otoman sultans ( such as boulanger, ayvazovski and gerome ) ,

Hereke carpets, baccarat crystal and bohemian glass chandeliers, including the world’s largest chandelier which hangs in the state room. 

THE FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE MUSEUM                                                         In memory of the english nurse florence nightingale who came to istanbul in 1854 to tend the turkhis and alliend soldiers of the crimean war. The hospital was at the Selimiye barracks and now the room in the northwest Tower has been turned into a museum.

The exhibits inculude florence nightingale personal belongings, photographs, certificates, medalions and the bracelet that sultan abdülmecid presented to her. 

KARIYE ( CHORA ) MUSEUM                                                                                  The museum, which is considered by some to be the most interesting byzantine church in istanbul due to its magnificent mosaics and frescoes, was originally built in the late eleventh century by maria doukaina the mother-in-low of emperor alexius I comnenus, on the Remains of an earlier byzantine church.

It was converted into a Mosque in 1511 by the grand vezir atik ali paşa during the reing of sultan beyazid II, and the mosaics were subsequently plastered over.

İn 1948 the Mosque was turned into a museum, and between the year 1947-1952, a team of amarican restoration experts uncovered the valuable mosaics which had been for centuries Covered w,th plaster, these mosaics are the greatets examples of byzantine art in existence today 

M. RAHMI KOÇ MUSEUM OF TECHNOLOGY

The historical Stone building which house this museum is located along the golden horn and was for a long time used as the foundry of the otoman navy. This museum exhibits industrial and tecnelogical objects, engravings, paintings  and models. The is also a cafeteria open to visitors.