In Search of Turkish and Islamic Art

This includes works from the Umayyad, Abbasid, North African (Magrip), Andalusian, Fatimid, Seljuk, Ayyubid, Ilkhanid, Mamluk, Timurid, Safavid, Qajar, Principality Period, Anatolian Seljuk, and Ottoman periods.

The palace was built in the 16th century in the western part of the Hippodrome, also known as At Meydanı in Sultanahmet. It is located partly on the area where the seating rows of the Eastern Roman Hippodrome were once located. The İbrahim Pasha Palace is an important example of Ottoman civil architecture.

Keçecizade Fuat Bey, former mayor and Istanbul Deputy, İsmet Bey, President of the Court of Accounts II, Armenak Sakızyan, Director of the Mümtaz and Mukhtar Provinces Office, İbnul-Emin Mahmut Kemal Bey, Member of the Copyright and Translation Department of the Ministry of Education, Mehmet Ziya Bey, and Ahmet Hakkı Bey, the first Director of the Evkaf-ı İslamiye Museum.

In 1917, a delegation headed by İsmet Bey, a member of the board of directors of the Evkaf-ı İslamiye Museum, was sent to Damascus to bring the damaged works to the capital Istanbul for protection. The collection, now known as the "Damascus Papers," contains more than 200,000 Quran leaves, archive documents, and volumes recorded in 13,882 items.

The exhibition was a huge success, attracting thousands of visitors. In response to the public's enthusiasm, the museum decided to create a permanent Sacred Relics section during a renovation that took place between 2012 and 2014. The section houses a number of important artifacts, including: Kaaba covers, The door lock of the Kaaba, Sakal-ı Şerifs (hairs of the Prophet Muhammad's beard), Handwritten Qurans attributed to Uthman and Ali.

The corridor leading to the next section of the exhibition features metalwork belonging to the Artuqid state, a Turkic dynasty that ruled over parts of Anatolia and Syria in the 11th and 12th centuries. Of particular note is the symbolically important door and door knocker of the Cizre Grand Mosque, which is one of the finest examples of Artuqid metalwork.

The department's thematic exhibition features a variety of displays, including: Coffee Houses of the period, Istanbul mansions, Calligraphy room, Turkish bath, Ottoman carpets, Karagöz, jewelry and clothing culture. 

Coffeehouses quickly became an important part of Ottoman social and cultural life. They were places where people from all walks of life could come to socialize, drink coffee, and discuss the latest news and events. Coffee houses were also known for their lively atmosphere and their role as centers of intellectual and artistic activity.

Anatolian Turkish carpet art is a rich and diverse tradition that dates back to the 13th century. Carpets were woven in various centers throughout Anatolia and named after the region where they were made. Ottoman carpets were particularly prized in the West and were featured in the works of European painters.

The most common view about the origins of Karagöz shadow play is that it was developed in Bursa, Turkey, during the reign of Orhan Gazi (1326-1362). According to legend, two workers named Karagöz and Hacivat were working on the construction of a mosque in Bursa when they began to argue. Their argument caused such a commotion that the construction of the mosque stopped. Orhan Gazi, the sultan at the time, was so angry that he had Karagöz and Hacivat executed.