Turkiye 2023: A Visit to the Museum

Also in the area of Hippodrome/Sultanahmet Square is the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, which is housed in the Ibrahim Pasha Palace, an Ottoman imperial court residence for Pasha. It was initially called Hippodrome Palace due to its location at the Hippodrome. The reason behind the visit to the museum at this time was to get out of sun, which was already bearing down on us. We desperately needed some relief from heat since we were just starting our day of touring.

Got our tickets. Entry is about $11.50, and worth more than the price of admission, I think. In recent years, I have found a deeper appreciation for museums and had made time to visit one in a new city. In this country, we visited quite a few. The Turkish history is long and they say complex and very rich, it could not be contained in just one museum, j/k. In my opinion, this is a very good museum that contained ruins of the Hippodrome.

On the upper level, there were plenty to see like sculptures and potteries, calligraphy, clothing, and carpets from different periods. Koran of different ages were also displayed. The carpet room (as I called it) was my favorite as I love looking at carpets/rugs and their designs.

My friend admiring the display.

In another room, I was caught appreciating the colors and designs of the carpets.

There was a room for dioramas.

From the second floor balcony, there's a view of the Obelisk and the Blue Mosque.