Istanbul Turkish and Islamic Works Museum
Turkish and Islamic
Works Museum is the first Turkish museum covering the Turkish and Islamic
art works wholly. The establishment works that have been started at the
end of 19th century have been completed in 1913 and the museum has been
opened for visit in the soup kitchen building located in Süleymaniye
Mosque complex, which is one of the most important works of Mimar Sinan,
with the name of "Evkaf - ı İslamiyet Müzesi" (Islamic
Foundations Museum). After the announcement of the republic, it has taken
the name "Turkish and Islamic Works Museum".
The museum has been
moved to İbrahim Pasha Palace from the soup kitchen building in 1983.
Ibrahim Pasha Palace, which is one of the most important samples of 16th
Century Ottoman civil architecture samples is on the stages of the
historical hippodrome, the history of which goes back to the Roman Period.
This building, the precise construction reason and date are not known, has
been presented to İbrahim Pasha by Kanuni Sultan Süleyman in 1520, who
would be his grand vizier for 13 years.
İbrahim Pasha
Palace, which is claimed to be bigger and more magnificent than Topkapı
Palace by the history has been the stage of many weddings, feasts and
celebrations as well as rebellions and turmoil and called with the name of
İbrahim Pasha after the death of this person in 1536. It has been used by
other grand viziers, and had functions such as barracks, embassy palace,
register office, Janissary band house, sewing workshop and prison.
The palace located
around four big internal courtyards has been made of stone in contrast
with many Ottoman civilian buildings, most of which are wooden, therefore
it could reach today and has been repaired between the years 1966 - 1983
and has been born again as the new building of Turkish and Islamic Works
Museum. The section, which is used as a museum today is the big ceremony
hall of the palace and the 2nd courtyard surrounding it, which have been
the subject of all Ottoman miniatures of the palace and the gravures and
tables of Western artists.
Turkish and Islamic
Works Museum has been awarded with the Special Jury Award of Museum of the
Year Competition of the European Council in 1984 and with the prize given
by European Council - Unesco for its studies for making the children love
the culture inheritance.
Turkish and Islamic
Works Museum, that is among the important museums of the world in its
class has works from almost all periods and all types of Islamic art with
its collection exceeding forty thousand works.
Carpet Section
The carpet section
forming the richest collection of carpet art in the world had a separate
importance and caused the museum's being famous as a "Carpet
Museum" for long years. The museum has the richest carpet collection
of not only Turkey, but also the world. Besides rare Seljuk carpets,
prayer rugs and animal figured carpets belonging to the 15th centuries and
the carpets produced in Anatolia between the 15th - 17th centuries and
called as "Holbein Carpet" in the West inspired by the
geometrically figured or kufi writing are the most valuable parts of this
section.
Turkish and Islamic
Works Museum carpet collection that became richer with Iranian and
Caucasian carpets and famous Uşak and palace carpet samples is a
reference, which the ones carrying out a serious research on the carpet
art in the world must apply to.
Hand Writings and
Calligraphy Section
Koran - ı Kerims
constituting a big part of the writing collection of Turkish and Islamic
Works Museum from 7th century to the 20th century come from a large
geographical region where Islam has spread over.
It is one of the
rare collections, where Emevi, Abbasi, Egypt and Syria Tulunoğulları,
Fatımi, Eyyubi, Memluk, Moğol, Türkmen, Seljuk, Timuri, Safavi, Kaçar
and Anatolian Principalities and Ottoman calligraphy creations can be
observed all together.
Among the hand
writings, except Korans, there are books (some of them with pictures)
written about various subjects and these draw attention both in terms of
their writing styles and their coatings.
Imperial edicts,
warrants bearing the signatures of Ottoman sultans, the sultan's
signatures each of which is a work of art, Turkish and Iranian miniature
writings make Turkish and Islamic Works Museum one of the most important
museums of the world.
Section of Wooden
Works
The most important
parts of this collection are the samples of Anatolian Wood art of 9th -
10th century.
Besides the unique
parts that remained from the Anatolian Seljuks and principalities, mother
- of - pearl, ivory, tortoiseshell ornamented wooden works of the Ottoman
Period, unique samples of inlaying art, Koran part cases, bookrests,
drawers are the interesting parts of this rich collection.
Stone Art Section
Stone works
belonging to Emevi, Abbasi, Memluk, Seljuk, Ottoman periods, some of which
have motifs and some of which have figures, but all of which have writings
have been gathered in Turkish and Islamic Works Museum. Unique and elite
samples of stone art of Seljuk Period, grave stones on which hunting
scenes, fairy creatures such as sphinx, griphon, dragon, early - period
stone works with kufi writings, inscriptions written in different methods
that are projections of Ottoman calligraphy art are important both in
quality and in quantity.
Section of
Ceramic and Glass
In this collection
consisting mostly of the ceramic works found in the excavations made
between 1908 - 14, the ones from Samarra, Rakka, Tel Halep, Keşan are in
the first ranks.
It is possible to
see the stages of Early - Islamic Period ceramic art in the collection of
Turkish and Islamic Works Museum. The mosaic, mihrab and wall encaustic
tile samples belonging to the Anatolian Principalities and Seljuk Periods
and the plaster ornaments of Konya Kılıçaslan Palace constitute another
important part of the collection. Ottoman encaustic tile and ceramic art
samples end with near - period Kütahya and Çanakkale ceramics.
The glass collection
starts with the 9th century Islamic glass art samples and includes 15th
century Memluk candles, Ottoman period glass art samples.
Metal Art Section
Turkish and Islamic
Works Museum Metal Art Collection starting with the unique samples
belonging to the Great Seljuk Empire period and mortar, censer, long -
spouted ewer, mirror and dirhems constitute an important collection with
the door knockers of Cizre Ulu Mosque and 14th century candelabrums
ornamented with constellation and planet symbols, which have an important
place in Islamic metal art.
Among the Ottoman
metal art samples starting from the 16th century and reaching the 19th
century, there are silver, brass, tombac (ornamented with valuable stones)
crests, candles, rose water cans, censers, washtub / ewer sets.
Ethnography
Section
Ethnographic parts
collected for long years have found the possibility of being exhibited
with the transfer of Turkish and Islamic Works Museum to İbrahim Pasha
Palace.
The youngest part of
the museum is exhibited in this collection, consisting of carpet - kilim
looms collected from various regions of Anatolia, wool painting
techniques, public weaaving and ornamenting art samples, clothes in their
regional enhancements, house goods, hand arts, hand art instruments, nomad
tents exhibited in places special to them.
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