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10 Museums You Can Visit on the European Side


İstanbul, which connects the continents of Asia and Europe is known as the heart of our country in the fields of industry, commerce, transportation, education, history, and culture. Istanbul gains many attractions every year with its natural beauty, historical texture and works of art that it carries to this day. It is possible to see the traces of very different cultures in each corner of the city, which was the capital of the greatest empires of history such as Rome, Byzantium, and Ottoman.

If you are planning a cultural trip, you can have the opportunity to visit numerous museums on the European side of Istanbul, where the most important examples of modern and classical works are exhibited. In this article, we will talk about 10 museums that are waiting to be visited on the European Side.

 

Basilica Cistern

The Basilica Cistern was built in 532 by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I to meet the water needs of the region. With the Fall of Constantinople by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1453, the cistern was used for a while to meet the water needs of Topkapı Palace. The cistern, which attracts the attention of visitors with its giant and mysterious columns lined up one after another, has been on the list of UNESCO World Heritage since 1985.

 

Topkapı Museum

Topkapı Palace is one of the most beautiful examples of Ottoman architecture, was designed by Fatih Sultan Mehmet. Covering an area of 700 thousand square meters, Topkapı Palace is known as one of the largest palace museums in the world. In the palace, which was designed as a structure consisting of courtyards, you can see the structures built with the artistic aesthetic understanding of the Ottoman period and the most valuable collections of the period.

 

Sakıp Sabancı Museum

Located right next to Emirgan Park, famous for its tulips, the Sakıp Sabancı Museum is also known as the "Equestrian Mansion". The building, which once hosted the Sabancı family, draws attention with its nature, architectural texture, and magnificent sea view. You can visit the works of important painters and sculptors, furniture and decorative items from the Ottoman period and book and calligraphy collections at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum.

 

İstanbul Museum of Modern Art

The İstanbul Museum of Modern Art, which reflects the culture and artistic perspective of our country, was established in 2004. You can examine works in the fields of photography, media and design of architectural production at the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art. You can also find areas where you can hold cultural and social activities such as exhibition halls, libraries, educational workshops, cafes, restaurants, and cinemas in the museum.

 

Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts 

The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts located in the İbrahim Pasha Palace is the first museum to host Turkish and Islamic artifacts collectively. In the museum, you can observe various objects made of glass, earth, metal and ceramic in addition to the manuscripts that make up the most popular works of art in the Islamic world. In another section of the museum, you can come across collections that reflect the daily lives and cultures of the Turks.

 

İstanbul Naval Museum

The İstanbul Naval Museum, which contains the most important examples of Turkish maritime history, gives its visitors unforgettable feelings with more than 20 thousand pieces that shed light on the history of The Ottoman Republic. In the museum, where the collections are divided into many categories, you can find works of many periods from The Fall of Constantinople to the Turkish War of Independence, as well as some objects belonging to Atatürk, such as weapons, maps, pictures, boats, lanterns, banners, ship models, which sheds light on the maritime history. 

 

İstanbul Archeology Museums

İstanbul Archeology Museums, which has an artistically important architecture with its monumental structure and façade decorations, hosts works where you can explore the details of many periods of history. It is known that the Tiled Kiosk, located in the museum, is one of the works that Fatih Sultan Mehmet brought to İstanbul. You can examine the best examples of art and architecture such as The Oldest Love Poem as a cuneiform tablet, the Bust of Alexander the Great, The Sarcophagus of Sidamara, and The Alexander Sarcophagus at the Istanbul Archeology Museum.

 

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum

Madame Tussauds Istanbul Wax Museum welcomes its visitors as the 21st branch of the world-famous Madame Tussauds Museum where sculptures made of wax are exhibited. In the museum, you will come across especially Atatürk, sultans, and statesmen such as Fatih Sultan Mehmet and Kanuni Sultan Süleyman, who left their mark on The Ottoman period. In addition, you can come across wax sculptures of today's artists such as Murat Boz and Beren Saat, as well as many local and foreign famous names such as Barış Manço, Adile Naşit, Tarık Akan, Müslüm Gürses, Bruce Wills and Albert Einstein.

 

Rahmi Koç Museum

Established in 1994, Rahmi Koç Museum consists of two main sections, Hasköy Dockyard, The Lengerhane Building and exhibition spaces. In Rahmi Koç Museum where you can examine the rarest examples of automobiles and industrial equipment from the past as well as models of telescopes, cameras, birdhouses, and even various objects that are used by Atatürk. The originals of the Time magazine cover series of Atatürk are also exhibited in the museum.

 

Panorama 1453 History Museum

Established in 2009 as Turkey's first panoramic museum, Panorama 1453 History Museum describes The Fall of Constantinople with inscriptions and panoramic photographs. You can take a long journey throughout history by hearing cannon shoots during the war, the anthem of the Janissary Band and even the neighing of horses in the museum, where some sections from history are exhibited. Panorama 1453 History Museum, located in Topkapı Culture Park, has playgrounds where children can do activities and enjoy their time.

 

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