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The museum was built on the northern section of the peristyle courtyard of the Great Palace of the Byzantine Empire, where mosaics used to decorate the pavement had been discovered partially in good condition.
Istanbul Mosaic Museum (Great Palace Mosaic Museum), is located close to Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul, Turkey, at Arasta Bazaar. The museum houses mosaics from the Byzantine period, unearthed at the site of the Great Palace of Constantinople.
The museum hosts the mosaics used to decorate the pavement of a peristyle court, dating possibly to the reign of Byzantine emperor Justinian I (r. 527-565). It was uncovered by Turkish archaeologists from the University of St Andrews in Scotland during extensive excavations at the Arasta Bazaar in Sultan Ahmet Square in 1935-1938 and 1951-1954.
| Address |
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Sultanahmet, Eminönü |
| Web Site |
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www.ayasofyamuzesi.gov.tr |
| E-mail |
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mozaik@muze.gov.tr – ayasofyamuzesi@kulturturizm.gov.tr |
| Phone |
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(212) 518 12 05 |
| Fax |
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(212) 512 54 74 |
The Great Palace mosaics, reflecting a matchless master ship, are dated by specialists to 450-550 AD. The white background of the mosaics resembles fish scales. The scenes depicted on the mosaics are from daily life and nature, rather than being religious. The scenes of a griffin eating a lizard, a fight between an elephant and a lion, a mare nursing her filly, children herding geese, a man milking a goat, a child feeding a donkey, a girl with a jug, bears eating apples and a fight between a hunter and a tiger are among the most spectacular examples displayed in the museum.
Istanbul Mosaic Museum
The area formed part of the south-western Great Palace, and the excavations discovered a large peristyle courtyard, with a surface of 1872 m², entirely decorated with mosaics. It was at this point that the Austrian Academy of Sciences, supervised by Prof. Dr. Werner Jobst, undertook to study and preserve the famous palace mosaic and to carry out additional archeological examinations (1983-1997) within the scope of a cooperative project with the Directorate General of Monuments and Museums in Turkey.
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Istanbul Travel Guide
- Bosphorus, Istanbul
- Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora
- Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul
- Etz Ahayim Synagogue
- Galata Tower, Istanbul
- Golden Horn
- Grand Bazaar, Istanbul
- Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
- Hippodrome, Istanbul
- Istanbul Archaeology Museum
- Istanbul Jewish Cemetery
- Neve Shalom Synagogue, Istanbul
- Spice Bazaar, Istanbul
- Suleymaniye Mosque Istanbul
- Topkapi Palace, Istanbul
- Underground Cistern, Istanbul
- Zulfaris Synagogue
- Beylerbeyi Palace
- Rumelihisari (Fortress)
- Camlica Hill
- Bosphorus Bridge
- Istanbul Mosaic Museum
- Church of the Holy Apostles
- Eyup Mosque and Mausoleum
- Beyazit Camii
- Fatih Camii
- Fethiye Camii “Pammakaristos Church”
- Hagia Eirene
- Orthodox Patriarchate and Cathedral
- Sts Sergius and Bacchus
- Yeni Camii
- Zeyrek Camii “Church of the Pantocrator”
- Prince’s Islands
- Mosque of Rustem Pasha
- Galata Bridge
- Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
- Miniatürk
- Istanbul Modern Museum
- Galata Mevlevihanesi
- Pierre Loti
- Istanbul, Turkish Baths
- Walk through Istiklal Street
- Tunnel
- Military Museum
- Port of Istanbul
- City Walls of Istanbul
- Maiden’s Tower
- Harem
- Tofre Begadim Synagogue
- Yıldız Park
- Bulgarian St. Stephen Church
- Ahrida (Ohrid) Synagogue, Istanbul
- Ashkenazi Synagogue, Istanbul
- Balat, Istanbul
- Blue Mosque, Istanbul
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Rating: +3098 (from 3098 votes)
This museum is all about mosaics – beautifully restored and preserved. A must-see for mosaic fans. Not the glitzy gold- tiled saints of the churches, but wonderful scenes of daily life, flora and fauna, people… The pieces are well lit and you can get close up, no binoculars needed.
So much to see in Istanbul, but this should be a must. Roman Mosaics from the 6th century Palace. Not just pretty patterns the size of a carpet…huge animal and human scenes showing the level of art the emperors lived with. Close tot he Blue Mosque, cheap, takes no more than an hour…but will live with you.
This museum is so massive that it is impossible to imagine seeing it all at one go, we enjoyed…
This small museum has an interesting selection of mosaics. You don't need a flash as the mosaics are illuminated by sunlight!
A nice small museum in a wonderful area. To find it you follow the signs, even it looks like they do not make any sense (you go under an archway, etc.). The Romans painted through their mosaics and you can witness it here.
There were a lot of violent mosaics there, it seemed like most of them were. But it was interesting.
This museum has the mosaics from the Roman Palace and built in the ruins of the palace. Behind Blue Mosque inside the Arasta Bazaar. Highly recommend to visit. Closed mondays.
This little publicised attraction in Istanbul is well worth the visit if you are interested in art history, or restoration. We stumbled across it when looking for details to visit the Arasta Bazaar. There are more mosaics here than in most other museums, including large number that are still in place where they were originally laid.
This is not a big attraction, but well worth the visit. The description of the restoration works to the mosaics is interesting in itself. The mosaics are beautiful. It is located in the centre of the artisan market near the Blue Mosque.
The mosaics here are amazing. It is hard to believe they stumbled on them while excavating. Unlike other museums you were not crowded with people pushing you out of the way. Definitely worth the visit !