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From Evkaf-i İslamiye to the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
Founded in 1914, Evkaf-ı İslamiye Museum was the last Museum of the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum has a vast collection of artworks from the earliest period of Islamic art to the 20th century.
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.
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From the Early Islamic Period to the Ottoman Empire
The Evkaf-ı İslamiye Museum was renamed the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum in 1924. It continued to operate in the Imaret building until 1983, when it was moved to the second courtyard of the İbrahim Pasha Palace.
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.
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The founders have welcomed visitors with open arms
The first display in the museum features posters of the administrative committee that served as the scientific advisory board. The members of the committee were:
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.
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Damascus Papers
In 1907, a fire broke out in the Damascus Umayyad Mosque, damaging the historical archive kept in the mosque's treasury (beytülmal) section. The fire was extinguished with water, but the damage to the archive was significant.
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.
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Sacred Relics
In 2007, the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum held a temporary exhibition called "One Servant, One Messenger," which featured a collection of sacred relics associated with the Prophet Muhammad and his companions.
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.
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1400 years of splendor
The exhibition begins with artifacts from two important archaeological excavations of Early Islamic sites: Raqqa and Samarra. These sites were excavated in the 19th century, and the valuable artifacts that were recovered were brought to the museum.
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.
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19th Century Istanbul Exhibition
The Ethnography Department of the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum houses a rich collection of artifacts that showcase the daily life and culture of the Ottoman Turks.
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.
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Coffeehouses and Coffee Culture in the Ottoman Empire
According to the Ottoman chronicler İbrahim Peçevi, coffee, coffeehouses, and everything related to it were brought to Istanbul by Hakem and Şems around 1555. The first coffeehouse was opened in Tahtakale, a bustling commercial district in the city.
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.
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Carpet Art
The relationship between humans and weaving goes back to the Neolithic period and continues to this day. One of the most important products of weaving is the carpet. Carpets can vary depending on the production method, patterns, raw materials used, and where they are used.
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.
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Karagöz Shadow Play
Karagöz shadow play is a traditional Turkish theater that has a history of over 500 years. It is a form of puppetry in which flat leather puppets are manipulated behind a translucent screen to create shadows.
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.
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The Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum is the first Turkish museum to include works of Turkish and Islamic art in their entirety, and it is also the last museum opened during the Ottoman Empire period.
Visit this link to read the Ottoman artifacts in more detail.
