Are you interested in touring the museums of Istanbul? Here we’ve provided some information on some of Istanbul’s museums for you to tour while visiting Turkey.
Archaeology Museum tours in Istanbul
The archaeology museum of Istanbul is located behind the Topkapi palace museum and is open to the public for tours between 9.30-4.30pm every day except Mondays. Guided tours of the museum should be available however many visitors prefer to tour the museum by themselves taking time to soak up the atmosphere of Istanbul’s archaeology museum. Inside the museum are historical exhibits from Istanbul and Turkey dating back 5000 years. Many of the statues in the archaeology museum in Istanbul date back to Roman and Byzantine times, including jewellery and pottery uncovered from ancient Troy.
Tours of the Turkish and Islamic arts Museum in Istanbul
The museum of Turkish and Islamic arts is within walking distance from the Topkapi palace museum in Istanbul. Exhibits in this museum are open to public tours and date from between the 8th-19th century. The museum houses an interesting display of Turkish nomadic life with tents and traditional textiles on display. A large collection of Ottoman calligraphy is also on display at the museum in Istanbul, as well as beautiful hand carved wooden Koran cases and stands. Finally there is an impressive display of colourful Turkish carpets and rugs which the visitor should see as part of their tour.
Textile museum tour in Istanbul
When visiting the famous blue Mosque of Istanbul it may be worth taking a tour of the textile museum which is housed in the cellar of Istanbul’s main mosque. While touring this museum the visitor can see a vast collection of different types of Ottoman carpets and hand woven Turkish rugs some of which date back hundreds of years. Taking a tour of the textile museum in Istanbul is a good idea for anyone considering purchasing a Turkish carpet to take back home.
Tours of the mosaic museum in Istanbul
In the 1950’s archaeologists excavating behind the Blue mosque in Istanbul unearthed floor mosaics dating back to the Byzantine period. Although these vast mosaics had been buried and forgotten for centuries, these vast mosaics have been turned into a museum open to public tours and offer an amazing spectacle to any visitor to Istanbul. The mosaic museum contains mosaics depicting the faces of Emperors as well as stories of hunting and capturing wild beasts.
