Museum · Binbirdirek Mahallesi, Sultanahmet Meydanı (At Meydanı Sokak No:12), Fatih, İstanbul

Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum

Name: Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
Address: Binbirdirek Mahallesi, Sultanahmet Meydanı (At Meydanı Sokak No:12), İstanbul, Turkey

Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi · TİEM · İbrahim Paşa Sarayı

A Ministry of Culture and Tourism museum of Turkish and Islamic art, housed since 1983 in the 16th-century İbrahim Paşa Palace on the west side of Sultanahmet Square in Fatih, Istanbul.

Where it is

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41.0063, 28.9747

Why go

The museum was founded in 1914 in the Süleymaniye imaret and moved in 1983 to İbrahim Paşa Palace, a building Süleyman the Magnificent commissioned in 1520 for his grand vizier İbrahim Pasha — described by the Ministry as, apart from the royal palaces, one of the earliest surviving palace buildings. The palace was restored and the museum reopened in 2014. It was the first museum in Turkey to bring Turkish-Islamic artworks together, with pieces from the Umayyad, Abbasid, Artuqid, Ayyubid, Ilkhanid, Timurid, Safavid, Qajar, Mamluk, Seljuk and Ottoman periods. Its carpet collection, which the Ministry calls the best in the world, includes rare 13th-century Seljuk carpets, alongside glass, stone, terracotta, metal and ceramic objects. A courtyard hall holds an ethnography section on 19th-century Istanbul daily life, and a Holy Relics section presents works similar to those at Topkapı Palace. This record covers only the Istanbul museum (Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi, Q525939): not the Edirne museum of the same Turkish name in the Selimiye complex, not the Türk-İslam Eserleri museums in Bursa or Erzurum, and not its immediate neighbour on the same street, the Hagia Sophia History and Experience Museum, about 65 m away.

Getting there

West side of Sultanahmet Square (At Meydanı Sokak No:12), in Fatih, Istanbul. Operated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi Müdürlüğü; ticketed by DÖSİMM (museum no. 160 in the Ministry's site directive). Official page: https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=TIE01&DistId=TIE.

Accessibility

The Ministry does not publish whether the 16th-century palace building has a step-free route, a lift, stroller access, baby-care facilities or any particular sensory conditions; expect stairs in a historic palace and ask the museum before you go if you need a confirmed accessible route. Disabled visitors, Turkish and foreign, are admitted free, and a companion is admitted free only if they are a Turkish citizen — that is an admission-price rule, not a statement about the route itself.

Visiting

Type: Museum
Where: Binbirdirek Mahallesi, Sultanahmet Meydanı (At Meydanı Sokak No:12), Fatih, İstanbul
Opening: According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (read 2026-09-22), the museum is open every day, 09:00 to 18:45, with the ticket window also closing at 18:45. A separate 'night museum' (Gece Müzeciliği) session runs 19:00 to 22:00 daily, ticket window to 21:00. An audio guide service is available.
Cost: As read from the Ministry's tariff directive on 2026-09-20, general admission was €17 (Müzekart accepted for Turkish citizens); Turkish citizens under 18 were admitted free with ID; disabled visitors, Turkish and foreign, were admitted free, with a free companion only for Turkish citizens; and foreign children were admitted free with a passport or ID up to age 7, and probably 8 — the directive's own wording is ambiguous at that boundary. Prices and exemptions change, so check the current tariff with the Ministry before you go.
Best for: Visitors who want a broad chronological survey of Islamic-era art from lands including Türkiye — Umayyad, Abbasid, Artuqid, Ayyubid, Ilkhanid, Timurid, Safavid, Qajar, Mamluk, Seljuk and Ottoman periods — including what the Ministry describes as one of the world's best carpet collections, plus the rare non-imperial 16th-century palace building itself, on the Hippodrome.
Not ideal for: Visitors who need a confirmed accessible or stroller-friendly route: the Ministry does not publish whether the historic palace has stairs, a lift, stroller access, wheelchair routes, toilets or baby-care facilities, so ask the museum directly if this matters for your visit.

Details last verified 2026-09-22. Conditions change — check locally before setting out.

Base yourself nearby

City

Istanbul

Istanbul is the city the Bosphorus divides between Europe and Asia, with the Golden Horn cutting into its European shore. Its Historic Areas (the Sultanahmet archaeological park, the Süleymaniye quarter, Zeyrek and the Land Walls) are a UNESCO World Heritage property inscribed in 1985, and a visit sorts naturally into the old city, the European Bosphorus shore around Beyoğlu, and Üsküdar and Kadıköy across the water.

Getting here

How to get to Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum

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Vehicle

Vehicle suitability unknown

We have not verified what this approach needs. That is a gap in our research rather than a statement that any car will do, so check locally before committing to a hire car.

Road last checked 2026-09-22.

A description of the road, not an assurance about your trip. Conditions change with weather and season.

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Guided tour · skygate
Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum Skip-the-Line Ticket
Skip-the-line admission to the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, in the historic İbrahim Paşa Palace beside the Blue Mosque. Check current price, dates and voucher terms on SkyGate.
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Related guides

Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum guide: the carpets, the palace and who pays
The Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum occupies İbrahim Paşa Palace on Sultanahmet Square and holds what the Ministry calls the world's best carpet collection. This guide covers what is on show, the official hours and night opening, the Ministry's free-entry rule for foreign children (8 and under, or under 8 by its footnote), and how the listed ticket's own child pricing differs.

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