The Sakıp Sabancı Museum (SSM) occupies the Atlı Köşk, a white 1920s villa set above the Bosphorus in Emirgan, in the Sarıyer district, extended by a modern gallery. Opened in 2002 and run by Sabancı University, it shows two permanent collections, the arts of the book and Ottoman calligraphy on the one hand, Ottoman and Turkish painting of the 19th and 20th centuries on the other, as well as major temporary exhibitions. The garden, open to museum visitors, offers a panoramic view of the strait. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm; a full-price ticket costs 450 TL and admission is free on Tuesdays. Allow an hour and a half to two hours including the garden.
Highlights
The Atlı Köşk, the "Mansion with the Horse"
The house was commissioned in 1925 by Prince Mehmed Ali Hasan, of Egypt's Khedival family, from the Italian architect Edoardo De Nari, and completed in 1927. The industrialist Hacı Ömer Sabancı bought it in 1951 with its furnishings; the bronze horse statue by Louis Daumas, bought at auction in 1952, gave it its name. His son Sakıp Sabancı lived there from the 1970s, before the family entrusted it in 1998 to Sabancı University to become a museum.
Arts of the book and calligraphy
The collection spans the 14th to the 20th century: Korans, calligraphy albums (murakka), large wall panels (levha), descriptions of the Prophet (hilye) and illuminated Ottoman official documents bearing the sultan's imperial monogram (tuğra). It began when Sakıp Sabancı bought a calligraphic panel by Sultan Mahmud II. Do not miss the calligrapher's tools, made of silver, coral, ivory or tortoiseshell, and the showcases explaining how a manuscript was made, from the paper to the binding.
The painting collection
On level -1, Ottoman and Turkish painting is shown from the 19th to the 20th century: landscapes, still lifes, portraits and nudes, from Osman Hamdi Bey, painter of "Hodja Reading the Koran", to Şevket Dağ, Prince Abdülmecid Efendi, Fikret Mualla and Nurullah Berk. The display traces the influence of painters trained in the military schools, then of the Academy and of European movements (Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism).
The garden on the Bosphorus
The garden slopes down towards the strait, with views of the Asian shore and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. It features stone works (sculptures, fountains, columns) and contemporary installations. The museum's restaurant, MSA's Restaurant, also looks out over the Bosphorus.
The autumn 2026 exhibitions
Until 27 December 2026, "Yoko Ono: Insound and Instructure" brings together 67 works by the artist, the largest exhibition of her work ever held in Türkiye; it extends through the galleries, the garden and the Atlı Köşk. Since 9 June 2026, the exhibition "Scribbled Exercises, Practice Pages" has shown the practice sheets of Ottoman master calligraphers from the 16th to the 20th century, from Ahmed Karahisarî to Hafız Osman and İsmail Hakkı Altunbezer.
Infos pratiques
Tips
Tickets cost 450 TL full price, 330 TL reduced (teachers, visitors aged 65 and over, students over 18) and 225 TL for students aged 14 and over on presentation of a student card; admission is free for children aged 12 and under, disabled visitors and one companion, ICOM card holders, and for everyone on Tuesdays. Tickets bought online are valid only for the chosen date and cannot be refunded or exchanged. [Emirgan Park](/fr/attractions/parc-emirgan) is close by, and [Rumeli Hisarı Fortress](/fr/attractions/forteresse-rumeli-hisari) is on the same bus line, a few stops further south; you can also combine the visit with a [Bosphorus cruise](/fr/attractions/croisiere-sur-le-bosphore). Prices checked in October 2026.
How to get there
Sakıp Sabancı Caddesi No:42, 34467 Emirgan, Sarıyer, Istanbul. Bus 22 from Kabataş (terminus of the T1 tram and of the F1 funicular from Taksim), via Beşiktaş, Ortaköy and Bebek; bus 40T from Taksim: get off at the Emirgan stop. The coast road is often congested at rush hour. Emirgan pier is served by a few Şehir Hatları ferry (vapur) lines on the Bosphorus, with few departures: check the day's timetable before relying on it.
Opening hours
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