Why you should visit the Istanbul Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts

If you are standing in Sultanahmet Square looking away from the Blue Mosque, you will see a massive, dark stone building. This is the palace of Ibrahim Pasha. While it may look like a fortress from the outside, it hides one of my personal favorites in the city: the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi) - and it is much more than just art on the walls.

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One of the first things you encounter after the entrance are signs leading to the ruins of the ancient Hippodrome of Constantinople. The museum is built directly on top of the old spectator stands, where up to 100,000 people once cheered during chariot races.

In the courtyard, there are glass panels in the floor where you can look straight down into history. When I was there last March, it was raining so heavily that the glass panels were completely fogged up, and I couldn't see a thing. Fortunately, walking around the ruins below was a truly great experience in itself. But it was actually something else entirely that caught my attention the most.

A section of the enormous iron chain that for over a thousand years blocked the entrance to the Golden Horn.

It was this very chain that forced Mehmed II into his brilliant move in 1453: When he couldn't sail past it, he had his men grease wooden planks with lard and roll his ships over land - from the Bosphorus, over the hills of Pera (modern-day Taksim), and down into the Golden Horn behind the Byzantines' backs.

Standing face-to-face with several meters and many links of this heavy chain changed my understanding of the event. Suddenly, history became concrete.

While most people think of the Ottomans when visiting Istanbul, this museum offers a chance to go a step deeper - into the Seljuk period (c. 1000-1300). This is where I truly find the roots of Turkish aesthetics.

The collection holds plenty of stone sculptures and ceramics with characteristic figures - mythical creatures, symbols, and geometric patterns that you won't see many other places in the city. The Seljuk style is often more robust and symbolic than the later Ottoman attention to detail.

And then there is the part I can't help but wonder about: even though the Seljuks had converted to Islam, they still depicted living beings. This is something not usually attributed to Sunni Islam. It is a fascinating blend of their new faith and their past on the Central Asian steppes, where motifs like lions and double-headed eagles stood for protection and power. You almost never see this in later, more stringent Ottoman art.

You cannot overlook the carpets. The collection is world-famous - and for good reason. Here, massive hand-knotted works are on display, some several hundred years old. This is where it truly dawns on you that carpets in this part of the world have never been just something to step on. They represent status, storytelling, and craftsmanship at an extreme level. The colors and precision still hold up today.

The religious aspect and etiquette

The museum houses some of the Islamic world's most significant objects - including very old Qurans and personal belongings linked to the Prophet. It is not just a museum. Please be mindful of your attire:

• Avoid short shorts and bare shoulders.

• Women must wear a headscarf in the sacred sections.

See it as part of the experience - and as a sign of respect.

Let it all settle in

Before you leave, take a look at the ethnographic department located in a room in the courtyard next to the café. Here, it is the Ottoman-Constantinopolitan everyday life that takes center stage. You will find scenes from Ottoman coffee houses, workshops, and upper-class parlors. It provides a nice balance to the more religious and archaeological parts of the museum.

This is where everything falls into place. From the museum's terrace, you have a fantastic view over the old Hippodrome, the obelisks, and the Blue Mosque. Here you can sit in peace while the city continues just outside, letting the layers - Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman - settle.

Practical info

• Location: Right by the Hippodrome / Sultanahmet Square.

• Time: Allow around 2 hours.

• Tip: Use the terrace. It is one of the most peaceful breaks you will find in the area.

• Ticket: Click here to get the ticlet now - and skip the line
  

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