Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts

he Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art is not only the first Turkish museum to collectively encompass works of Turkish and Islamic Art, but also the last museum opened during the Ottoman period. Founded in 1914 as the Evkaf-ı Islamiye Museum in the Imaretler Section of the Süleymaniye Complex, the museum was moved to the Ibrahim Pasha Palace, which was renovated between 1965 and 1983, and opened to visitors in 1983.

The Ibrahim Pasha Palace (16th century), located west of Sultan Ahmet Square, has been the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art since 1983. It is the only surviving private palace other than the Sultan palaces. The building, raised on arches, surrounds the central terrace on three sides. From the terrace, stairs lead to the first part of the museum. In the rooms and halls, rare works of art created in different countries of the Islamic world are exhibited.

From the earliest period of Islamic art to the 20th century, the museum has a rich collection of works from the Umayyad, Abbasid, North African, Andalusian, Fatimid, Seljuk, Ayyubid, Ilkhanid, Mamluk, Timurid, Safavid states, various Caucasian countries, principalities and Ottoman Period.

Only the 'Manuscripts' section of the museum is home to 18,298 artifacts. The stone and terracotta, metal and ceramic objects and glassware exhibited are the most precious examples of their era.

The collection is one of the richest collections in the world, with 1700 masterpieces of handcrafted Turkish carpets on display in the large glassed-in section with large halls. Seljuk carpets from the 13th century and other pieces from the following centuries are carefully exhibited.

On the lower floor of the carpet section is the 'Ethnography Section' where Turkish daily life and artifacts from the last few centuries are exhibited.