Islamic Civilizations Museum fascinates people

ISTANBUL

The Museum of Islamic Civilizations, which opened last week in the Büyük Çamlıca Mosque Complex, draws great interest from visitors with its exceptional artworks that shed light on the development of Islamic art.

“These artifacts, which are in the inventory of National Palaces and other museums, have not had a chance to meet with visitors before,” said Yasin Yıldız, the president of National Palaces, adding that the museum has welcomed more than 5,000 visitors since its opening.

Opened to the public on April 9 with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and located on a 10,000-square-meter closed area in the Çamıca Mosque Complex, the museum is home to nearly 700 works reflecting the historical development of Islamic art from the 7th to the 19th century.

The museum features an exquisite collection of works selected from the collections of the Topkapı Palace Museum, the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, the Istanbul Archeology Museums, the Istanbul Tombs Museum and the Foundations Museum, which are affiliated with the National Palaces.

Visitors now have the opportunity to see many artifacts such as the representative footprint of the Prophet Muhammad, the Kaaba door curtain, talismanic shirts, sultan’s caftans, the childhood notebook of Fatih Sultan Mehmet, Ottoman period coins, rosaries of dervishes and sultan’s swords.

“The Museum of Islamic Civilizations is one of the most important museums in Turkey. Nearly 700 historical artifacts are on display together for the first time. These artifacts, which are in the inventory of the National Palaces and other museums, are the ones that have not had the chance to meet visitors before. They were kept in the warehouses of our museums. We also have a serious technological infrastructure in this museum,” Yıldız said.