The Carpet Museum of Istanbul is one of the most striking museums of Istanbul, located within Hunkar Kasri, a small palace in Sultanahmet mosque. The mosque dates back to the first years of the 16th century.
Istanbul’s Carpet Museum is among the most interesting museums in Istanbul, and it attracts a large number of visitors. Stay with us to learn more about this fascinating museum and why you shouldn’t miss visiting it.
History of Istanbul’s Carpet Museum
On April 29, 1979, Istanbul’s Carpet Museum was inaugurated in a two-story building within Sultanahmet mosque’s Hunkar Kasri. The museum’s primary purpose was to showcase the beauty of weaving and creating carpets in Turkish culture and art. Weaving and designing rugs in Turkish culture is a valuable art vital to Turkish heritage and dates back an extended period.
Istanbul’s Carpet Museum traces the development of this art over the past seven centuries. It displays over 800 carpets from the 14th to the late 19th century.
Istanbul’s carpet museum was first located in Sultanahmet’s Hunkar Kasri palace, but after a short period, they decided to relocate it to a new address. They reopened Istanbul’s Carpet Museum to Almhouse of Hagia Sophia, a soup kitchen from 1743. This building was the second home to Istanbul’s Carpet Museum in 1979.
Why was the Carpet Museum of Istanbul closed?
Unfortunately, the Istanbul Carpet Museum had been closed for a few years. Restoration was the main reason for its closure. Please take advantage of this extraordinary museum, because it reopens after restoration. It is open from 9 am to 5 pm in the summer and from 9 am to 4 pm in the winter. The museum is open every day of the week except Mondays.
Artifacts and items that are on display in Istanbul’s Carpet Museum
As mentioned, Istanbul’s Carpet Museum exhibits over 800 carpets and rugs from the 14th to 20th centuries. You can see the process of changing the art of designing and creating Traditional Turkish rugs and carpets.
The Istanbul Carpet Museum exhibits rugs in Turkmen, Persian, Ottoman, and Caucasian styles. These rugs show the beauty of various cultures with a long history in the Middle East.
Istanbul’s Carpet Museum has three galleries devoted to a distinct collection. The first gallery is for Anatolian-style carpets with geometric shapes.
The second gallery of Istanbul’s Carpet Museum houses Anatolian carpets from eastern and central Anatoly from the 15th to 20th centuries.
On the third gallery of Istanbul’s Carpet Museum, you will see Ottoman-style carpets from the 17th and 18th centuries. Other items exhibited in the third gallery of Istanbul’s Carpet Museum are carpets and rugs from Suleymaniye Mosque and the Blue Mosque of Istanbul.
Location and nearby attractions to Istanbul’s Carpet Museum
Istanbul Carpet Museum’s address: Alemdar, Foundations Regional Directorate Carpet Museum Sultanahmet Mosque, 34122 Courtyard/İstanbul, Turkey.
Some of Istanbul’s Carpet Museum’s nearby attractions are the Hagia Sophia Mosque, Ayasofya Camii, Topkapi Palace, and the Istanbul Spice Bazaar.
Final words about Istanbul’s Carpet Museum
Carpets and kilim are symbolic and essential parts of Turkish art and culture. Old Turkish carpets are famous worldwide. If you are eager to discover the wonders of this traditional art, you should visit this wonderful place.
