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SALT Galata is an art institution housed in the former headquarters of the Ottoman Bank in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s located on Bankalar Street in the Karaköy neighborhood of Beyoğlu.
About SALT
SALT was founded in 2011 by Vasif Kortun and Garanti Bank. It has three branches including SALT Galata, SALT Beyoğlu on Istiklal Street, and SALT Ankara.
Visiting SALT Galata
SALT Galata is open daily except Mondays and admission is free (as of July 2023). There’s exhibition space, an auditorium, a research library, a café, and the Ottoman Bank Museum Collection (see below). In addition, the building houses Neolokal, one of Istanbul’s top restaurants.
Ottoman Bank Building
The building itself was of most interest to me, personally. It was built by Ottoman French architect Alexander Vallaury (1850-1921) between 1890 and 1896. The Ottoman Bank (Osmanlı Bankası) was founded on May 24, 1856, by British entrepreneurs Peter Pasquali and Stephen Sleigh. It was originally housed in Saint Pierre Han in Galata with about 20 officers.
The bank was elevated to a state bank on February 4, 1863, by Sultan Abdülaziz. The Ottoman Bank Building was its main headquarters from 1892 to 1999. It reverted to a private bank in 1931 and was absorbed by Garanti Bank in 2001.
Just inside the entrance are bas-relief sculptures of horses ridden by what appear to be ancient warriors. There’s also a marble wall with a quote in Latin above.
Wandering through the building, I was able to admire some of the architectural elements. I particularly enjoyed the open spaces and stairwells.
On the upper floors visitors can get a good look at the atrium. Each floor around the atrium is supported by arches and columns. It looks straight down into the research library.
Ottoman Bank Museum Collection at SALT Galata
The Ottoman Bank Museum Collection is spread throughout the floors of SALT Galata. It contains a selection of documents, photographs, and more. First, it’s possible to walk down into the bank vault, which is located in the research library.
On the upper floors, some of the displays are digital, including photographs of historic former bank employees. Reading the names of these employees showed how multicultural the Ottoman Empire was. Also, from this exhibit there are some great views across the Golden Horn.
There’s also an interactive map displaying all of the bank branches ever opened by the Ottoman Bank. It was interesting to see the photos associated with each branch.
