Istanbul's stunning museums which should be on your bucket list

Turkey

Istanbul's rich heritage makes it an iconic stop for visitors, and the city's arts and cultural attractions ensure that it retains its allure.

Istanbul Modern, Turkiye's first modern and contemporary art museum, is one of the city's must-see attractions, with its new building built on the Bosporus waterfront. Like its predecessor, the new building is on the European side of Istanbul in Karakoy, where the Bosporus meets the Golden Horn. Istanbul Modern exhibits the works of international and local artists performing in different disciplines. The museum also hosts exhibitions of modern and contemporary art worldwide in its permanent and temporary exhibition spaces.

Istanbul Archaeology Museums: Where history becomes alive

With the artefacts it houses, Istanbul Archaeology Museums, located on the grounds of Topkapi Palace, is one of the wealthiest archaeology museums in the world. The complex consists of three primary units: the "Archaeology Museum," the "Museum of Ancient Oriental Works," and the "Tiled Pavilion Museum". It holds more than one million artefacts belonging to the civilizations within the borders of the Ottoman Empire. https://muze.gov.tr/

Pera Museum: The Iconic Artefacts

Pera Museum, founded by the Suna and Inan Krac Foundation, is located in Tepebasi, right next to Istiklal Street, the heart of Istanbul. While the Pera Museum's "Orientalist Painting" collection features paintings inspired by Ottoman rule from the 17th to the 19th centuries, the "Anatolian Weights and Measures" collection holds over 10,000 objects from Anatolia's various civilizations. The "Kutahya Tiles and Ceramics Collection" includes hundreds of handicrafts from Turkiye's Kutahya region.

A Unique 'Museum Experience' on the Bosphorus

Sakip Sabanci Museum (SSM) is located in Emirgan, one of the oldest settlements of the Bosporus, in Istanbul. The villa, the museum's main building, was built in 1925 by the Italian architect Edoardo De Nari. The mansion, known as the 'Equestrian Mansion', has been a museum and an art and culture center since 2002. SSM offers a versatile museum experience with its stunning Bosporus view with its temporary and permanent exhibitions, conservation and research sections, excellent learning programs, performances, conferences, and seminars.

Turkiye's first plastic arts museum awaits its visitors with thousands of artworks

The Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture, being Turkiye's first plastic arts museum, provides a significant overview of Turkish art history from the late Ottoman Empire in the late nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth century. There are 10497 paintings, 719 sculptures, 257 ceramics, 182 calligraphies, ten icons, and one installation in the museum's collection.

The museum was established on July 18, 1937, in the Crown Prince's Office in Dolmabahce Palace and opened on September 20, 1937, by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.