Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts: carpets, tickets and opening hours

Updated on October 1, 2026

The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi) occupies the Palace of Ibrahim Pasha, on the west side of Sultanahmet Square, opposite the [Blue Mosque](/fr/attractions/mosquee-bleue). In October 2026 it is open daily from 9am to 6:30pm (ticket office closes at 5:30pm) and a ticket costs €17 for foreign visitors. Opened in 1914 in the imaret (soup kitchen) of the Süleymaniye complex, it was the first museum in Turkey devoted to Turkish and Islamic art; it moved here in 1983. The building, commissioned in 1520 by Suleiman the Magnificent and given to his grand vizier Ibrahim Pasha, is one of the oldest surviving palaces in the city apart from the imperial palaces. Restored from 2012, it reopened in 2014 with a new layout. Allow 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours for the visit.

Highlights

The carpet collection

This is the main reason to visit. The rooms display carpets spanning several centuries and several regions of the Islamic world, including rare 13th-century Seljuk carpets. The large Ottoman pieces hung on the walls are best viewed from a few steps back.

The ethnographic section

Set in the hall that lines the courtyard, it recreates interiors and scenes of daily life in 19th-century Istanbul: a furnished sitting room, costumes, household objects. A concrete counterpoint to the museum's art collections.

The Palace of Ibrahim Pasha

A banded stone and brick façade, a projecting wooden balcony and a large inner courtyard: the building is part of the visit. From the upper rooms, the view takes in the square and the former [Hippodrome of Constantinople](/fr/attractions/hippodrome-de-constantinople).

Manuscripts, metalwork, ceramics and glass

The museum covers many periods of the Islamic world (Umayyads, Abbasids, Seljuks, Mamluks, Timurids, Safavids, Ottomans): Qurans and calligraphic manuscripts, metalwork, ceramics, glassware, stone and terracotta. A section of holy relics completes the tour.

Opening hours and tickets

Daily from 9am to 6:30pm, last ticket sales at 5:30pm. Ticket €17 for foreign visitors, sold on site and on the Ministry of Culture's online ticket office (muze.gov.tr). The Müze Kart is only valid for Turkish citizens; foreign visitors can use the MuseumPass Istanbul (€105, valid for 5 days from the first visit, one entry per museum), which also covers the [Archaeological Museums](/fr/attractions/musee-archeologique-istanbul). Audio guide available.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Buy your ticket online on the official muze.gov.tr site to skip the ticket office queue (prices checked in October 2026). If you also plan to see the Archaeological Museums (€15), the Galata Tower (€30) or the Maiden's Tower (€27), add up the tickets before choosing the €105 MuseumPass Istanbul. The museum combines easily with the Blue Mosque, the [Basilica Cistern](/fr/attractions/citerne-basilique) and the rest of the [Sultanahmet district](/fr/articles/quartier-sultanahmet-istanbul).

How to get there

Binbirdirek Mahallesi, At Meydanı Sokak No: 12, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul (west side of Sultanahmet Square). Tram T1 (Kabataş-Bağcılar), Sultanahmet stop, about a 5-minute walk; the Çemberlitaş stop is also close. From Taksim, take the F1 funicular to Kabataş, then tram T1. See our guide to [getting around Istanbul](/fr/articles/transports-istanbul) for the Istanbulkart.