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Istanbul Mosaic Museum

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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 : Sultanahmet, Eminönü
Web Site : www.ayasofyamuzesi.gov.tr
E-mail : mozaik@muze.gov.tr – ayasofyamuzesi@kulturturizm.gov.tr
Phone : (212) 518 12 05
Fax : (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

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.



Istanbul Travel Guide

  • Bosphorus, Istanbul
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  • Istanbul Archaeology Museum
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  • 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
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  • Yeni Camii
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  • Prince’s Islands
  • Mosque of Rustem Pasha
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  • Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
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Istanbul Mosaic Museum, 100% based on 3098 ratings
51 Reviews
  1. JESSICA_2013
    12:27 pm on December 13, 2013

    I don’t think I need to write too much here. Just go it is one of the most fantastic cultural institutions in the world.

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ephesus tours

The big tip is to try and go completely private. Many of the large tour companies offer private tour and they are going to charge a significant amount of money for the tour guide. However, many locations offer self-guided tours and therefore you have the ability to supply your own tour guide. Easily Book your guided private Ephesus tours, to see all the treasures of Ephesus Turkey. It's often said that Turkey has more ancient cities and classical ruins than does Greece. Well, it's true, and the Aegean coast holds a great number of sites, including Ephesus, the grandest and best-preserved of them all.

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