Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (Türk ve Islam Eserleri Müzesi)

Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (Türk ve Islam Eserleri Müzesi) Review

Süleyman the Magnificent commissioned Sinan to build this grandiose stone palace overlooking the Hippodrome in about 1520, for his brother-in-law, the grand vizier, Ibrahim Pasha, and today it is one of the most important surviving examples of secular Ottoman architecture from its time. The palace now houses the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, which has an exceptional collection of Islamic art and artifacts dating from the 7th through 20th centuries, including Qurans and other calligraphic manuscripts, metalwork, and wood and stone carvings. Among the highlights is a pair of 13th-century wooden doors—decorated with finely wrought brass plates and a bronze door knocker sporting dragon and lion figures—from the Great Mosque in Cizre, an ancient city on the Tigris River. The museum also has one of the world's most highly regarded collections of antique carpets (dating back to the 13th century), examples of which are displayed floor to ceiling in the palace's enormous ceremonial hall. The lower level contains an ethnographic section with very informative, albeit slightly dated, exhibits on traditional life among nomadic Turkish tribes. After you've visited, take a coffee break in the museum's leafy courtyard and terrace overlooking the Hippodrome.