Hisart Museum to reopen with new face

ISTANBUL

The Hisart Live History Museum, which houses 1,500-year-old historical artifacts in Istanbul’s Kağıthane district, will reopen on Feb. 1 after a renovation process.

Founded by Nejat Çuhadaroğlu, the renewed face of the museum was launched on Jan. 19.

The museum, which was established in 2013, had been closed for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the restoration work was carried out during this closure process.

The book “Osmanlı İmparatorluğu Askeri Kıyafetleri 1826-1922” (Ottoman Empire Military Clothing 1826-1922), the second of the Hisart Live History Museum cultural publications and the most comprehensive work in its category, was also launched in the event.

“The museum, which consists of hundreds of collections that Çuhadaroğlu has created with great effort over the years, is enriched once again and presented to the world of culture and civilization. Young people will not only know about Manzikert, Çanakkale and the National Struggle, but they will also learn about innovation, artificial intelligence and the latest in internet technologies,” Beyoğlu Mayor Haydar Ali Yıldız said.

Çuhadaroğlu said that Hisart Live History Museum is the first and only in the world of its kind.

“This museum tells about wars and events that cover a history of 1,500 years. It is the first and only museum in the world in this sense. There are many unique works in the museum. It had been closed for about two years due to the pandemic. It will reopen to visitors in February. We turned the pandemic period into an advantage. We renewed our museum during two years,” he said.

The Hisart Live History Museum takes visitors of all ages on a journey through the pages of history with its numerous artifacts and sections dealing with historical events.

It is home to the world’s largest diorama collection thanks to his 30 years of labor in making models as well as 25 years of collecting.

The six-story museum, covering a display area of 1,500 square meters, was established at a cost of $25 million.

Military and ethnographic objects related to many civilizations and events that led to the formation of world history, such as the Ottoman Empire, the War of Independence, World War I and II and the Gulf War, are on display at the museum. The objects show the technological development of military materials used in wars and also shed light on sociological, economic and cultural developments, as well as the bitter face of war.
It also displays dresses worn by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in three different wars. An example of magic shirts, which are decorated with the verses of the Quran and were worn by significant people in the Ottoman Empire, and the oldest flag of Turkish football team Fenerbahçe are among the other interesting items in the museum.

It also has the Culture and Tourism Ministry 2020 Special Award, given to those that contribute to cultural heritage.