Turkish and Islamic Art Museum is the first museum in our country to include Turkish – Islamic artworks together and at the same time, it has the distinction of being the last museum opened during the Ottoman Empire Period. The Director of the Müze-i Hümayun, Osman Hamdi Bey formed a committee to establish a new museum to prevent continuing thefts from historic waqf (foundation) and religious foundation buildings such as mosques, masjids, dervish lodges, zaviyes and tombs.
After collecting artifacts including carpets, rugs, manuscripts, wooden doors, lecterns and oil lamps etc. from the foundation buildings, museum opened for the first time in 1914 in the imaret building (Alms house) of Suleymaniye Mosque Complex, one of the most important structures of Mimar Sinan (Sinan the Architect) by the name of “Evkaf-ı Islamiye Museum” (Islamic Foundations Museum). After the declaration of the Republic and name the country “Turkiye Cumhuriyeti” on 29 October 1923, it was named “Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum” and moved to Ibrahim Pasha Palace to the west of Blue Mosque Square, in 1983. Apart from the Sultan palaces, the museum building is one of the earliest surviving palace buildings to the present day, dates back to the late 15th century.
Ibrahim Pasha Palace, one of the most important structures of Ottoman civil architecture, rises above the old “Racetrack Square” stairs. In 1520, it was repaired by Suleiman the Magnificent and gifted to Ibrahim Pasha of Pargali, his son-in-law and grand vizier. As well as being the palace of the vizier, in certain periods it also functioned as a ‘Spectator Palace’. In 1530, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent watched the circumcision festivities of princes Mustafa, Mehmed and Selim from the oriel of Ibrahim Pasha Palace.
The elevated structure on the arches surrounds the terrace on the three sides. One of the most pleasant places in the museum is this terrace, overlooking the Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque) Square.
Closed for many years for restoration, the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum reopened in late 2014 and is located on the edge of the Hippodrome in Sultanahmet. The building was once the palace of Ibrahim Pasha (1493-1536), the Grand Vizier, son-in-law and friend of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent.
It is the only private Ottoman mansion to have stood the test of time since the 16th century – largely because the tradition was to use wooden material for Ottoman mansions rather than the masonry used here. Inside the former mansion lies the remnants of the vaulted western wall of the Hippodrome, uncovered in excavations of the ground floor from 2012-2014.
Upstairs are the galleries that feature religious artifacts dating back to the 8th century including the Damascus papers and Korans from the various dynasties of the today’s Middle East that feature exquisite calligraphic work. The remnants of each dynasty is presented in chronological order which culminates in the woodwork, carpets, metal work and ornaments from the Ottoman and Seljuk eras.
The highlights for many visitors are the sacred relics of the Prophet Mohammad and the highly decorative metal doors and door knobs of Great Mosque of Cizre.
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