Sakıp Sabancı Museum is a museum that was established in 2002 and opened to visitors at the Atlı Köşk, located in Emirgan, one of the oldest settlements on the Bosphorus in Istanbul. With its rich calligraphy and painting collection, it is among the largest museums in Istanbul. This museum, which houses the works of original artists and essential painters and sculptors, hosts various exhibitions and promotions throughout the year.
Sakıp Sabancı Museum, which has a large visitor mass with events held at various times of the year, belongs to the management of Sabancı University and it is open to visitors at any time of the year. This museum, which attracts local and foreign tourists all year round, brings art enthusiasts and painting lovers together with various activities
A Museum Carrying Traces of Culture: Sakıp Sabancı Museum
Among Istanbul's most visited tourist attractions, Sakıp Sabancı Museum hosts thousands of visitors a year despite its recent establishment. The museum has heavy visitor traffic not only in the summer but at all times of the year. The museum is among the critical places for people interested in arts and culture, and tourists who want to see the reflection of the past today should head there. Sakıp Sabancı Museum, which also frequently accepts school trips, tours, and individual visitors, has the feature of being an original art exhibit in the heart of the city.
Architecture and History of Sakıp Sabancı Museum
Sakıp Sabancı Museum was designed by an Italian architect, Edouard De Nari, in 1927. The original owners of this mansion are the Khedive family of Egypt. Taking the name "Sabancı," this mansion was bought by Hacı Ömer Sabancı in 1950 and started to be known as the "Equestrian Mansion" because of the horse statue it has in its courtyard. The horse sculpture made by the French sculptor Louis Doumas was placed in the mansion in 1864, and over time, became an integral part of the mansion.
Deciding to live in the mansion in 1966, Sakıp Sabancı finally opened his collection of arts, goods, and calligraphy, which he had accumulated as a hobby for years, to the public. Later, he handed over the mansion to the Sabancı University administration and turned it into a full-time museum. This museum, which opened to the public in 2002, has started to host many different arts and cultural events thanks to the modern art gallery area added in 2005, expanding its reputation internationally.
Would you like to explore this living museum with the Istanbul Tourist Pass and observe the cultural perspectives of Turkish and foreign societies? If your answer is yes, book your place in this magical world right now! Suppose you want to continue to explore the cultural elements and learn the history of Turkey and the Ottoman Empire after you have finished visiting the Sakıp Sabancı Museum. In that case, you can visit Topkapı Palace Museum and continue browsing through the cultural heritage of the Ottoman empire and former civilizations.
Exhibits Inside the Museum
Sakıp Sabancı Museum is divided into different sections with the works of art and collections it contains. One of these sections, the Book Arts and Calligraphy collection, includes a variety of calligraphy and manuscripts elaborated by various artists from the 14th to the 20th centuries. This museum, which has artifacts from the beginning of the Ottoman Empire, contains the rare manuscripts of the Qur’an and Sultan's edicts. These works, which have various sizes, are presented to the visitors on the wall, on the table, or in specially designed glass lanterns. All these pieces at the museum, each carefully written and decorated, carry the cultural and artistic understanding of the past to the present.
Another collection in the Sakıp Sabancı Museum is the painting collection. The creation of the collection started in the 1970s. Since then, it has revealed the changing understanding of arts, painting techniques, and perspective shift from the past to the present. The paintings, created in the past Turkish periods and drawn by foreign national painters who lived in the Ottoman Empire, were heavily portrayed throughout the exhibition. The collection, which has the value of cultural accumulation, hosts the works of many foreign artists and local artists as well. The painting collection perfectly reflects the understanding of drawing and painting from the past to the present and includes essential clues of the modernization process of Turkish society over the years.
As a great lover of art and a man of taste, Hacı Sabancı filled every corner of the mansion with meaningful and detailed pieces of furniture with ornate decorations. As part of the museum, this furniture has antique value and contains clues to European architectural history. For this reason, it is possible to have information about the society in which they were produced by looking at the works of art.
The Sakip Sabanci Museum in Istanbul is a popular cultural destination, offering visitors a unique perspective on Turkish history and art. Located in a beautiful 19th-century mansion on the Bosphorus, the museum features a diverse collection of works, including Ottoman calligraphy, traditional Turkish textiles, and contemporary art. Visitors can explore the museum's galleries, gardens, and temporary exhibitions, which showcase a wide range of local and international artists. In addition to the art collection, the Sakip Sabanci Museum in Istanbul also features a restaurant serving traditional Turkish cuisine, as well as a gift shop and bookstore. To visit the museum, visitors can purchase tickets at the entrance or online in advance. The Sakip Sabanci Museum tickets price is affordable, making it an accessible cultural experience for all visitors. The museum is open every day except Monday, with varying opening hours depending on the season. Whether you're an art enthusiast or simply looking to explore Istanbul's rich cultural heritage, the Sakip Sabanci Museum is a must-visit destination.
Sakıp Sabancı Museum is built on a huge mansion, so it is quite possible to find a different piece of art in every corner of the building. If you want to examine and learn about all the works of art without haste, you can finish your visit in a few hours.