Pera Museum is the hidden gem of Beyoglu district. It is located on Mesrutiyet Street, which runs parallel to Istiklal Avenue, the most popular walking street of Istanbul. You can find information about the history of Pera Museum in this article. In addition, Pera Museum entrance fee and opening hours are also noted.
Extending from Taksim Square to Galata Tower, Istiklal Avenue is one of the city’s most touristic places. You can see attractive shops on this street, experience local food and have a good time in boutique cafes.
If you want to get away from the crowd of Istiklal Avenue and have some rest, you can go to Mesrutiyet Street, which stands out with its nostalgic atmosphere. Mesrutiyet Street has historical buildings from the 19th century, the high-end restaurant Mikla and the hidden gem Pera Museum.
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History of the Pera Museum
The history of the Pera Museum goes back to 2005. Although it is a relatively new museum, its collections date back to the Ottoman period. In addition, the building in which Pera Museum is located gives us many clues about the history of the Beyoglu district.
Beyoglu is the place where the architectural breakthrough in Istanbul in the 19th century manifested itself most. Beyoglu, known as Pera during the Ottoman period, was the neighborhood where passengers from Orient Express came to stay.
The last station of Orient Express coming from Paris was Sirkeci Train Station in Old Istanbul. However, there were no luxury hotels in the Historical Peninsula, which had a traditional style. Hotels with European architecture were opened in Pera (today’s Mesrutiyet Street) for the rich customers of Orient Express.
The Pera Palace and the Grand Hotel De Londres, which were opened here during this period, are still standing. The Pera Museum was founded with the restoration of one of these hotels, the Bristol Hotel.
The museum was founded by the Suna and Inan Kirac Foundation, which belongs to one of Istanbul’s oldest families. This foundation has contributed to many projects for education and culture in Turkey.
Meet Osman Hamdi Bey
Istanbul Archeology Museum has one of the world’s largest archeology collections. The person who brought these magnificent works together was Osman Hamdi Bey, one of the Ottoman period bureaucrats.
With the initiatives of Osman Hamdi Bey, the first archaeological museum of Istanbul was established in the 19th century. The museum was first operating inside Hagia Irene, an old church. Later, a beautiful building with remarkable Neo-Classical architecture was built to move the museum.
Osman Hamdi Bey was also one of the most important painters of the Ottoman period. Osman Hamdi Bey’s world-famous Tortoise Trainer painting and 19th century orientalist paintings are among the most important works of Pera Museum.
Pera Museum Collections
Pera Museum’s collection offers excellent tips for those who want to learn the history of Turkey. The weight measures used in the Ottoman period, ancient Turkish tiles and orientalist paintings promise you a fascinating experience.
Pera Cafe and Artshop are located on the ground floor of the museum. There are permanent exhibitions on the first and second floors and multi-purpose exhibition halls on the upper floors. The basement is used as an auditorium for film screenings and interviews.
1. Anatolian Weights and Measures Collection
Anatolian Weights and Measures Collection provides you with information about the Ottoman period in which different measurement units from Europe were used. This collection is spread over most of the first floor. Various weighing and measuring instruments used in Anatolia since ancient times are exhibited.
2. Kutahya Tiles and Ceramics Collection
Kutahya Tiles and Ceramics Collection is also on the first floor of the museum. By reviewing this collection, you can get historical information about the development of the art of pottery in Kutahya (a city in Central Anatolia). Kutahya Tiles are the continuation of Iznik Tiles, which adorned palaces and mosques in the peak period of the Ottoman Empire.
3. Oriental Painting Collection
Oriental Painting Collection includes works by European painters inspired by Ottoman life between the 17th and 20th centuries. The most rare works of this collection are the paintings of Osman Hamdi Bey.
His paintings are among the most expensive paintings sold in international auctions. The most important work of Osman Hamdi Bey, the Turtle Trainer is exhibited in this section of the museum.
4. Photography Collection
Photography Collection is also one of the most impressive parts of the museum. In this section, the works of photographers such as Caranza, Robertson, Kargopoulo, Abdullah Brothers, Gulmez Brothers and Ali Enis Oza are exhibited.
The most important feature of the photography section is that it takes you on a journey through the history of Istanbul. This nostalgic collection introduces us to an Istanbul that we can no longer see today.
5. Pera Film
Pera Film makes various screenings for visitors in an auditorium in the basement of the museum. The films complement the experience of the museum, as they offer a parallel content with the subjects of temporary exhibitions.
Pera Museum Entrance Fee 2023
Pera Museum entrance fee is 80 Turkish Lira per person as of 2023. The price is reduced to 40 Turkish Liras for children under 10 years, for students and for adults over 60 years old. The information on the ticket price was last updated on May 25, 2023.
Pera Museum Opening Hours 2023
Pera Museum opening hours are between 10:00 am and 7:00 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. On Sunday the opening time is 12:00 in the midday and the closing time is 6:00 in the evening.
Fridays are a public day and the Pera Museum can be visited free of charge between 18:00 and 22:00. Please also note that the museum is closed on Mondays. Information on visiting hours was last updated on May 25, 2023.
Although we update the blog every 6 months, we may miss some changes. So you can check the latest status on the official website of the museum before visiting this place.
How to Get to The Pera Museum?
In order to get to Pera Museum, you can first go to Istiklal Street. If you take the Church of St Anthony of Padua, the most famous church on Istiklal Street, behind you, you can easily find the Pera Museum by passing through the passage called “Odakule”.
Pera Museum is located in an area called Tepebasi next to the easily visible TRT (state television studios) building. The museum is easy to find, as it is also within walking distance of well-known buildings such as the Pera Palace and the British Consulate.
You can reach the museum on foot from Istanbul’s tourist attractions such as Galata Tower and Taksim Square. For those who want to reach the museum by Metro, Sishane Metro Station is a very short walk from the museum.
Conclusion
Although Pera Museum is one of the relatively young museums in Istanbul, it has earned a solid place among the best museums in Istanbul thanks to its excellent art collections and easy location.
If you visit Pera Museum in Istanbul and like it, I recommend other museums in the same category. Among them, Rahmi Koc Museum in Haskoy (Golden Horn shores) and Sakip Sabanci Museum in Emirgan (Bosphorus shores) are particularly recommended.
If you want to learn more about the museums in Istanbul, you can find dozens of similar articles in the Museums of Istanbul category of this site. Nearly 40 museums are introduced under this category.
Written by Serhat Engul
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