Istanbul Cinema Museum (Atlas): Turkish cinema in a Beyoğlu passage
The Istanbul Cinema Museum (İstanbul Sinema Müzesi, also called Atlas 1948) occupies the former Atlas cinema, in the Atlas passage on İstiklal Avenue, at No. 131. It opened in October 2021 after two years of restoration. Over three levels it tells the story of Turkish cinema, from the Yeşilçam era to today, with film props, costumes, posters and interactive spaces. Allow an hour to an hour and a half; it is closed on Mondays.
Highlights
The façade on İstiklal
The entrance opens straight onto Beyoğlu's great pedestrian avenue. The "Atlas Sineması" and "İstanbul Sinema Müzesi" signs side by side are a reminder that the cinema, opened in 1948, still runs in the same building.
The hall and ticket office
You enter through the passage, under restored 19th-century neoclassical ceilings, towards the museum's ticket desk.
The museum rooms
The levels display sets, props and costumes from Turkish and foreign films.
The first, interactive level
Wax figures of Turkish cinema personalities, an augmented-reality room and a telephone booth where you listen to dialogue from Yeşilçam films.
The second level
Filmmakers' personal belongings, promotional material, costumes and a demonstration of the sound effects (foley) used in film.
Temporary exhibitions
The top level hosts changing themed exhibitions, including on the history of Ottoman cinema.
Practical info
Tips
- Prices, read from third-party sources in 2026 (the official site could not be consulted in October 2026), are about 300 TL full price and 200 TL reduced (students), with free entry for young children; older sources quote 240 and 180 TL: ask at the ticket desk. Museum cards are apparently not accepted. It is an easy visit to fit between two stops on İstiklal Avenue, and a good rainy-day fallback in Beyoğlu and Taksim. For other museums on the same street, see the Museum of Innocence and our selection of the best museums in Istanbul.
How to get there
İstiklal Caddesi No. 131, Atlas Pasajı, Beyoğlu, Istanbul. From Taksim, walk down İstiklal Avenue towards Galata, about 15 minutes; from Karaköy, take the Tünel funicular and then the same avenue. Nearby metro stations: Taksim and Şişhane (M2). Line details: Getting around Istanbul.
Opening hours
Nearby
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