Set in a beautiful 17th-century medrese, this is one of the city's more unusual museums. Where instructors once lectured students in Islamic philosophy,...

The third sacred building on the site to bear the name, the existing Haghia Sophia ('Divine Wisdom') was dedicated on 26 December AD 537 by Emperor...

Created as Turkey's equivalent of London's Tate Modern, Istanbul Modern has grown comfortably into its role since opening in 2004. Housed in a former...

Housed in the immaculately restored Zülfaris Synagogue (in existence since 1671, but dating in its present form to the early 19th century), a collection of...

The sheer size and wealth of this place says as much about the military's continued clout in Turkey, as it does about the country's bloody history. For many...

Announced by a roadside garden full of big guns, the museum is housed in two separate buildings on the Bosphorus. The larger building holds an extensive...

In an 1893 building that formerly housed Istanbul's famous Bristol Hotel, this well-run museum combines permanent exhibitions, art galleries, an auditorium,...

Founded by the eponymous industrialist, this converted 18th-century foundry on the waterfront is a showcase for the assorted obsessions of one of the...

Owned by one of Turkey's wealthiest businessmen, this museum is housed in a fabulous villa right on the shores of the Bosphorus, built for Egyptian royalty...

Directly behind Haghia Sophia are the walls shielding the Topkapı Palace complex. Part command centre for a massive military empire, part archetypal Eastern...