The Istanbul Naval Museum “Deniz Müzesi” is located in the district of Beşiktaş on the European side. Used as Library and Marime Museum in 1897 by admiral Huseyin Husnu Pasha, the Istanbul Marine Museum is located at the current building since 1961.
On 3 floors are exposed about 4000 pieces. The Istanbul Naval Museum contains caicos used by the Ottoman sultans, boats, maps, flags, as well as a large number of objects related to the sea.
A competition was organized in 2005 to choose the future plans for the museum’s expansion. The construction of the main building started in 2007 and finished in 2011.
It houses an exhibition hall named Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa on the lower floor, a multi-purpose hall called Suleyman Nutki on the upper floor, another named Haluk Sehsuvaroglu. The Caka Bey room is reserved for temporary exhibitions.
The Museum is the second largest archive center of the Ottoman period in Turkey. There are manuscripts, maps, photographs, paintings, objects, statues, engravings, signatures of Sultans.
14 Sultans ships are on display, most of which date from the 19th and 20th centuries, 4 copies of the famous navigation book “Kitab-ı Bahriye” written by the Ottoman Admiral Piri Reis between 1511 and 1521 are also on display.
The museum is also known for having the oldest galley (sailing ship and oars) in the world. Research has shown that it dates from before the beginning of the 17th century, during the time of Mehmet III.
Visiting the Istanbul Naval Museum is ideal for discovering a fascinating part of the history of an entire country: an exhibition on Ottoman naval history.
How to go to the Naval Museum in Istanbul?
Take a bus from Taksim Square to Besiktas or take the boat going down to the Besiktas pier if you are coming from the Asian side.
Also you can click Sabancı Museum