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The Selimiye Foundation Museum (Selimiye Vakıf Müzesi) is located at the UNESCO World Heritage listed Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, Turkey. It displays artifacts from historical Ottoman mosques in the city.
Selimiye Madrasa
The Selimiye Foundation Museum is housed in the former Selimiye Madrasa (Selimiye Dar’ül Kurra Medresesi). It was used to educate reciters of the Quran. The madrasa sits behind the Selimiye Mosque to the south.
The madrasa consists of a rectangular courtyard surrounded by porticoes on each side. A large room with a dome on the east side of the courtyard served as the classroom and a small mosque. The rooms to the south and west of the courtyard were cells for students and teachers. There are some excellent views of the Selimiye Mosque from the courtyard as well.
Visiting
The museum is open daily except Mondays from 9am to 5pm. Admission is free (as of May 2023). The collection is broken down into seven exhibitions.
Metal Works Room
The first section is the Metal Works Room (Maden Eserler Odası). It displays door knockers, candlesticks, ornamental lanterns, and other items made of metal. The most important items in this collection date back to the 18th and 19th centuries.
Calligraphy Room
The Calligraphy Room (Hat Eserleri Odası) exhibits examples of declarations and certificates written in Arabic script. There are also calligraphy plates written by famous calligraphers.
Wood Works Room
Wooden works of art, including Quran guards, chests, and door guards are exhibited in the Wood Works Room (Ahşap Eserler Odası). Some of these items are inlaid with mother of pearl.
Tile Room
The Tile Room (Çini Eserler Odası) includes original tiles taken from important mosques in Edirne, such as the Selimiye, Muradiye, and Şah Melek Pasha Mosques.
Clocks Room
In the Clocks Room (Saatler Odası), there are examples of clocks from different periods as well as tools used to determine the position of the sun, moon, planets, and stars.
Student Cells
Some rooms are set up to display how students would live and study in the madrasa. Mannequins depict how students would study or eat their meals while living there.
Classroom
In the classroom, which is the biggest room of the madrasa, mannequins exhibit how teachers would instruct students during a Quran course. There are also fine examples of calligraphy and metal works as well as a beautiful chandelier. The classroom doubled as a prayer room.
Porticoes
Finally, as you walk from room to room through the museum, there are information panels under the porticoes. Some panels chronicle the life of Mimar Sinan (1490-1588), the architect of the Selimiye Mosque complex, while others include information about the mosque.
