| Official English Name | Carpet Museum of Istanbul |
|---|---|
| Turkish Name | İstanbul Halı Müzesi / Vakıflar Halı Müzesi |
| Museum Type | Historic carpet and textile museum |
| Operator | T.R. Directorate General of Foundations (Vakıflar Genel Müdürlüğü) |
| Collection | 550 carpets in the official inventory: 307 museum carpets and 243 study carpets |
| Historic Location | Ayasofya İmareti, Soğukçeşme Sokak, Fatih, Istanbul, Türkiye |
| First Opened | 13 April 1979 |
| Moved to Ayasofya İmareti | 15 November 2013 |
| Visitor Information | Current opening hours and admission information are not published on the operator’s museum page; confirm public access before visiting |
| Official Website | Directorate General of Foundations |
The Carpet Museum of Istanbul, also known as Vakıflar Halı Müzesi, preserves carpets collected through the Turkish foundations system, including works associated with mosques and other religious foundations. The Directorate General of Foundations records 550 carpets in the Istanbul museum collection, divided into 307 museum carpets and 243 study carpets.
The Carpet Collection
The museum developed around historic carpets that had been preserved in buildings administered by foundations. Many such textiles entered religious buildings as donations and were later transferred to protected collections when their age, artistic qualities, or physical condition made continued everyday use unsuitable.
The collection includes Anatolian carpets and prayer rugs dating from the 14th through the 20th centuries, as well as Persian and Caucasian examples. Among the earliest works identified in published descriptions of the collection is a 14th-century carpet from the period of the Anatolian beyliks.
The Anatolian material represents several periods and weaving traditions rather than a single regional style. Earlier displays included carpets from the Beylik, Early Ottoman, and Classical Ottoman periods, examples from Central and Eastern Anatolia, prayer rugs, large-format Uşak carpets, and rows of prayer carpets known as saf carpets.
From Sultanahmet Mosque to Ayasofya İmareti
The museum first opened on 13 April 1979 in the Hünkâr Kasrı, or Sultan’s Pavilion, of Sultanahmet Mosque. Its purpose was closely tied to the preservation of historic carpets held by the Directorate General of Foundations.
A later museum redevelopment project selected the Ayasofya İmareti for the collection. The building underwent restoration in 2006–2007, followed by work on the museum exhibition arrangement. The Carpet Museum reopened there on 15 November 2013.
The Ayasofya İmareti
The museum’s 2013 home was itself a historic part of the Ayasofya complex. Sultan Mahmud I commissioned the imaret in 1742–1743. An imaret provided food as part of an Ottoman charitable foundation, and the building contained spaces serving different stages of food preparation and distribution.
Its principal sections included the me’kel, or dining area; the aşhane, or kitchen; and the fodlahane, associated with bread production. These spaces later became the museum’s three main exhibition galleries.
The building was repaired on several occasions, including in 1777, 1871, 1884, and 1893. After 1920, the Istanbul administration of the Directorate General of Foundations used it first for archive storage and later as a lead workshop before its eventual conversion to museum use.
How the Three Galleries Were Arranged
When the Ayasofya İmareti operated as the Carpet Museum, selected works were presented both chronologically and by regional or stylistic group. The first gallery focused on Beylik-period carpets and Early and Classical Ottoman Anatolian carpets.
The second gallery was devoted to Ottoman carpets and prayer rugs from Central and Eastern Anatolia. The third contained large Ottoman-period Uşak carpets and saf prayer carpets. The exhibition system used controlled cases, regulated environmental conditions, specialized lighting, and other equipment intended to reduce risks to historic textiles.
Current Status and Visiting
The Carpet Museum remains listed by Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism as a museum associated with the Directorate General of Foundations, and the Directorate also continues to list the Istanbul carpet collection in its museum inventory. The operator’s dedicated Carpet Museum page, however, currently does not publish opening hours, admission fees, or other public-visit details.
The Ayasofya İmareti museum closed after the change in use of the Ayasofya complex in 2020, and later reports discussed plans concerning the future location of the collection. Because current public access cannot be confirmed from the operator’s visitor information, older opening hours and ticket prices found on travel websites should not be treated as current. Visitors specifically planning to see the Carpet Museum should confirm its status with the Directorate General of Foundations before travelling to the former Ayasofya İmareti location.