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Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
Guided Museum Tours
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Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum Guided Tour
Guided Museum Tours
Price Without Pass: €25
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Are you ready to discover the Turkish and Islamic arts of Istanbul?
The Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum has the world's largest carpet collection. This is indeed a great place for antique and history lovers! There are carpets from the Seljuk Empire, Iran, and the Caucasus. And many impressive collections of hand-written calligraphy, imperial edicts, ancient Qurans, and other written works.
Exploring Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum in the best way is so easy with the Istanbul Tourist Pass! You will enjoy hearing the hidden stories, architecture, and history of Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum with Istanbul Tourist Pass guides!
Istanbul Turkish and Islamic arts museum will be one of your favorite spot if you are interested in history and different cultures! Visiting this place is extremely easy with the Istanbul Tourist Pass.
About The Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
Mobile ticketing - No need for printed voucher, we're digital!
Skip the ticket line - Skip-the-line is available.
Duration - 30 Minutes Check Time table to see starting times
Instant confirmation - No reservation is required
Guide - English
Highlights
History of Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
Important Artifacts in Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
Damascus Documents
Old Door of the Cizre Ulu Camii
Carpets and Rugs Section
Religious Relics
Wooden Relics
19th Century Ethnography Exhibition
Includes
Entry to Islamic Arts Museum
Professional English-speaking tour guide
Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
Visit the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum and see the world's largest carpet collection including rare carpets from the Seljuk Empire, Iranian and Caucasian regions, collections of hand-written calligraphy, imperial edicts, ancient Qurans and many other written works. Admire the collections of wooden, glass, ceramic and stone articles by artists from former Islamic regions on display.
The museum was originally located in the soup kitchen of the Süleymaniye Mosque complex and later relocated to its current location in the İbrahim Paşa Palace, next to the Blue Mosque.
For this amazing experience and more, Buy Your Pass Now! Istanbul Tourist Pass® is here to make your Istanbul trip an unforgettable experience!
Hours & Meeting
Please visit time table for tour hours
How To Get There?
Where to meet
The tour starts at the main bus stop for BUSFORUS ISTANBUL at Sultanahmet Square. Look out for the red double-decker buses. It's about 50 metres in front of the Hagia Sophia.
To get to Sultanahmet Square, take the T1 Bağılar - Kabataş tram and get off at Sultanahmet station. Museum is 5-10 minutes walks away.
Get DirectionsImportant Information
The guided tours are performed in English.
The tour starts at the main bus stop for BUSFORUS ISTANBUL at Sultanahmet Square. Click "Get Directions" above to find the location on Google Maps.
The tour doesn't require a reservation in advance.
Istanbul Tourist Pass holders do not pay admission at the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum.
Children will be asked to present their passport at the entrance to confirm their age.
The museum is only open for half a day on the first day of Ramadan and the Sacrifice Festivals.
Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum Free With
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All About Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
About Turkish And Islamic Arts Museum
Turkish
and Islamic Arts Museum is one of the most significant historical centers in
all of Istanbul as it is the primary Turkish exhibition hall presenting many of
the important examples of Turkish and Islamic art together. If you are keen on
history, and/or doing an old city tour in Istanbul, don't miss this one and
visit it during your time in Istanbul. To learn everything you need to know
about the place, here are the history and some facts about Turkish and Islamic
Arts Museum.
History
of Turkish And Islamic Arts Museum
The building the museum is in today was built back in the 15th or 16th century during the reign of Bayezid II. When exactly it was constructed is unknown, but it is known that it was given to Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha by Suleiman the Magnificent, who was his second grand vizier. The place was named Ibrahim Pasha Palace and following the Ibrahim Pasha’s passing, the palace retained its name and became a government asset for the next 250 years. It was given to various government officials who were married into the royal family. Ibrahim Pasha Palace is the only private palace from the Ottomans that has survived until today except for some sultan palaces, so you can say building that houses Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum is a historical artifact in itself. turkish and islamic arts museum, museums of islamic art, turkish and islamic art museum, museum of turkish and islamic arts, islamic arts museum istanbul, turkish and islamic arts museum istanbul, museum of islamic art istanbul, turkish and islamic arts museum tickets, turkish and islamic arts museum opening hours.
Originally,
Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum was opened to visitors in the Suleymaniye
Mosque’s social complex in 1913. It received its current name after the
restoration work to transform the Ibrahim Pasha Palace to a museum. These
restorations started in 1966 and lasted until 1981. In 1983, it officially opened
its doors to visitors as Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum and has been open to
this date.
Important
Artifacts in Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
There
are many different sections in Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum. Each section has
enough artifacts to be a museum by itself with their many various artifacts. You
should see all of them during your visit of the museum, but there are a couple
of artifacts that stand out from the rest with their looks and/or their
history.
Damascus
Documents
Some
of the earliest examples of the Islamic Art, these are important historical and
religious documents. Various Qur’an parchments, documents about Damascus’
history, Qur’an roll manuscripts and documents on different Islamic arts are
some of the highlights.
Old
Door of the Cizre Ulu Camii (Great Mosque)
Rescued
from the Great Mosque in Cizre, this double wing door is believed to have
belonged to Artuqids. It is covered with bronze plates and has a wooden
skeleton. Its ornaments are made from brass sticks and plaques. There are 3
medallions that symbolize infinity with a twelve-armed star on the center on
each wing of the door. On the middle of the both wings, you can see the door
handles that have two dragons with a lion head on the middle. The epitaph that
sits on top of the door is written in the thuluth font.
Carpets
and Rugs Section
One
of the most striking sections is the carpets and rugs of varying sizes
displayed in the huge saloons with display windows. Huge hand-woven Ottoman
carpets are truly impressive and have unbelievable details. There are also
carpets from Seljuk Turks displayed here, which are the only Seljuk carpets
that survived until today. This collection that’s made of 13th to 20th century Ottoman
and Seljuk carpets is one of the world’s best collections of hand-woven
carpets. With enough observation, you can tell the fantastic stylistic differences
between Ottoman and Seljuk carpets and rugs.
Religious
Relics
To
see some of the rarest artifacts regarding Islamic history, visit the religious
relics section in Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum. There are many different religious manuscripts,
Qur’ans and epitaphs. This section also hosts the striking fragments of Prophet
Muhammad’s beard and one of his footsteps, which draws a lot of Muslims from
around the world.
Wooden
Relics
If
you wish to witness the wooden arts of the 9-10th century Anatolia,
visit the wooden relics segment. There are a wide range of examples of wooden craftsmanship
from Anatolian Seljuks, Period of Principalities and Ottomans. There are wooden
relics with inscriptions on them, different Qur'an parts, various Ottoman furniture
like foot stools and drawers, some examples of marquetry and more.
19th
Century Ethnography Exhibition
The museum’s ethnography part displays some of the important elements of the 19th century Istanbul such as traditional Ottoman clothes, Turkish baths, coffee houses, picnic areas and Karagoz & Hacivat shows.
How
to Get to Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
The
museum is in Sultan Ahmet Square, very close to the Blue Mosque, which is in the Fatih
district of Istanbul. It is a very common place for both tourists and locals,
so transportation is quite simple. The most common method is using the Kabatas
– Bagcilar tramway and getting off at the Sultanahmet station. From there, it
is a 5-minute walk.
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Advantages Of Istanbul Tourist Pass®
By having the Istanbul Tourist Pass®, you can visit more than 100+ attractions in Istanbul. You can save huge amount of time and money by not waiting in the long queues or paying fees at the entrances of the museums or for other facilities and activities. You can buy the Istanbul Tourist Pass®️ for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 or 10 days. So many attractions are available with Istanbul Tourist Pass®️ such as Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, Dolmabahçe Palace, Sapanca Lake daily tour, Dinner on the Bosphorus, Istanbul Airport Shuttle etc. included in the pass. For more details and updated attractions available with the pass can be found on website.
Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Get in Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum with Istanbul Tourist Pass?
What is There to See in the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum?
You will find many ancient artifacts in the museum. Some of them include manuscripts, carpets, woodwork and more.
How to Get to the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum?
Museum is located in Sultanahmet Square. You can take the bagcilar-kabatas tram and get off at Sultanahmet station.
When Does the Museum Open?
Museum opens at 9 AM from Wednesday to Sunday, and opens at 11:30 AM at tuesdays. On Mondays, the museum is closed.
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No, this attraction cannot be accessed directly by presenting the digital Pass at the museum. You need to enter with the tour guide.