Crowds expected at Istanbul museums during Eid al-Adha holiday

Istanbul’s most visited museums will continue to welcome art and history enthusiasts during the Eid al-Adha holiday.

Historic museums including the Topkapi Palace Museum, Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul Archaeology Museums and the Basilica Cistern, along with contemporary art museums and thematic museums located in various parts of the city, will become popular destinations for both domestic and foreign tourists during the holiday.

The Topkapi Palace Museum, affiliated with the National Palaces, will be open to history enthusiasts during the holiday. The museum, which served as the administrative, educational, and artistic center of the Ottoman Empire for about 400 years from Fatih Sultan Mehmet to Sultan Abdulmecid, and also served as the residence of the sultan, will be open for visitation on the first day of the holiday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and on the second and fourth days from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The palace, which is one of the most visited historical sites in Istanbul by both domestic and foreign tourists, will be closed to visitors on the third day of the holiday.

Spanning 700,000 square meters, the palace houses European porcelain and glassware, copper and brass kitchenware, Chinese and Japanese porcelain, silverware, the Chamber of the Holy Relics, the Imperial Treasury, Istanbul glass and porcelain, as well as portraits and special painting collections, among other things.