Mosaic Museum (Great Palace Mosaic), Istanbul
 Above: view of the Istanbul Mosaic Museum (© Tim Spalding) and mosaic detail. |
In 1933 excavators discovered a series of mosaics below what is now the Arasta Bazaar, identified as the floor of a peristyle courtyard (open court with porticos) of Constantine's Great Palace.
After more mosaics were unearthed in the 1950s, only then did the city fully grasp the scope of the find, and much to the chagrin of the owners of 16 of the shops, a museum was built to enclose the site.
What to See
Although the collection is not as momentous as that of the Chora, this museum is worth an hour of your time, representing an earlier artistic era absent of religious motifs, showing instead hunting scenes and scenes from mythology.
| Location: | Entrance at Torun Sok. Across from the entrance to the Sultanahmet Palace Hotel; accessible through Arasta Bazaar to the southeast of Blue Mosque. |
| Phone: | 0212/518-1205 |
| Hours: | Tues-Sun 9am-4:30pm |
| Cost: | Admission $2 |
More Information
- The Great Palace Mosaic Museum - official website from the Turkey Ministry of Culture
- The Great Palace - Welcome to Constantinople by Prof. Robert Ousterhout
- Werner Jobst, Istanbul, The Great Palace Mosaic: The Story of its Exploration, Preservation and Exhibition 1983-1997 (1997).
- Istanbul Mosaic Museum on the Web - "the unofficial but still comprehensive homepage" by Tim Spalding
- Istanbul Mosaic Museum - IgoUgo travel journal entry
- The Mosaic Museum - travel journal entry by Larry Stillman
