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The Istanbul Naval Museum (İstanbul Deniz Müzesi) is the largest maritime museum in Istanbul, Turkey. It boasts about 20,000 pieces in its collection, many pertaining to the Ottoman Navy.
Introduction to the Istanbul Naval Museum
The Istanbul Naval Museum was established in 1897 by Bozcaadalı Hasan Hüsnü Paşa (1832-1903), the Ottoman Minister of the Navy, with the permission of Sultan Abdülhamid II. The first location was at the Imperial Shipyard on the Golden Horn. It moved to a depot in Beşiktaş in 1961 and opened to the public 10 years later.
Due to issues preserving and displaying the collection, it was decided that a new museum would be built. A design competition opened on August 14, 2005, and the winner was chosen in 2008. The collection was moved to a temporary space next door. The new museum building opened on October 4, 2013.
I visited the temporary building in September 2011 and finally had a chance to visit the new building in May 2022. This post follows the suggested path through the Istanbul Naval Museum starting with exhibits on the ground floor. The path winds up to the second floor and continues down to the first floor and finally to the basement.
Visiting the Istanbul Naval Museum
The museum is open daily except Mondays, from 9am to 5pm on weekdays and 10am to 6pm on weekends. Admission for foreigners is 400₺ (as of July 2024). It’s located just west of Barbaros Park in Beşiktaş. Visit the official website for more info.
Ground Floor of the Istanbul Naval Museum
The ground floor of the Istanbul Naval Museum displays the largest and most impressive pieces in the museum collection.
Atatürk’s Boats
Once through the main entrance of the museum, a set of wide steps leads visitors down to ground level. Along the sides of the steps is a collection of rowboats used by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), the founder of the Turkish Republic. The exhibit emphasizes Atatürk’s love for the sea.
Imperial Caiques
At the bottom of the steps is a large hall full of long narrow rowboats. These are the imperial caiques, which were used by the Ottoman sultans on the Bosporus and Golden Horn.
The caiques were used for both ceremonial and daily excursions. They featured several pairs of long oars as well as a small pavilion or sofa for the sultan. The caiques were ornately decorated with floral patterns and other symbols to reflect the power of the Ottoman throne.
Imperial Thrones
One of the most important pieces on display on the ground floor is the throne of the Ottoman Naval Academy at Heybeliada. It was used by Sultan Abdülmecid I from 1851 to 1852. Abdülmecid started the tradition of attending naval examinations on October 17, 1848.
The back side of another throne belonging to Sultan Ahmed I was used at Aynalıkavak Pavilion. It was built by Halil Pasha, the Admiral-in-Chief of the Ottoman Navy, in 1613.
Ship Figures
Also on the ground floor are several items once attached to Ottoman ships. They include nameplates, coats of arms, and figureheads.
Orhaniye
The escutcheon and coat of arms of the broadside ironclad Orhaniye sit at the end of the hall. The Orhaniye was the third of four Ottoman ironclads built by Robert Napier & Sons of Glasgow, Scotland. It was ordered in 1862, launched on June 26, 1865, and commissioned in 1866. The ship saw action during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 as part of the Mediterranean fleet, refitted between 1890 and 1891, and was launched during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897. It was used as a barracks vessel at Kasımpaşa from 1908 to July 31, 1909, when it was decommissioned. The Orhaniye was sold for scrap in 1913.
Ramp to the Second Floor
Next, the ramp up to the second floor of the Istanbul Naval Museum allows visitors to get a view of the imperial caiques from above.
Second Floor of the Istanbul Naval Museum
The second floor of the Istanbul Naval Museum begins with a continuation of the imperial caique exhibit then turns its attention to the Ottoman and Turkish Navies.
Aziziye
First, at the top of the ramp to the second floor are the escutcheon and coat of arms of the broadside ironclad Aziziye. The Aziziye was named for Sultan Abdülaziz and was the second of four Ottoman ironclads built by Robert Napier & Sons. It was ordered in 1862, launched in January 1865, and commissioned in August of that year, later serving in the Mediterranean fleet during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78.
The Aziziye was refitted between 1892 and 1894 and launched during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897. It was then sent to Kasımpaşa to be used as a barracks vessel until July 31, 1909, when it was decommissioned. The Aziziye was sold for scrap in 1923.
Imperial Caiques and Other Boats
The Istanbul Naval Museum collection of imperial caiques continues after the pieces of the Aziziye. A handful of the boats are presented in the gallery.
There are also several smaller rowboats on display as well as figureheads that belonged to different ships and yachts.
Ottoman Coats of Arms
The second floor gallery displays wooden carvings containing the Ottoman coat of arms and tughras of the sultans. They hang on the wall while walking past the caiques and boats.
Battleship Model
At the end of the first gallery is a scale model of the battleship Sultan Osman-ı Evvel. It was ordered by the Brazilian Navy in 1911 and originally named for Rio de Janeiro. It was still under construction by Armstrong-Whitworth of Newcastle, England, when Brazil sold it to the Ottoman Empire in December 1913. The ship was then renamed Sultan Osman-ı Evvel.
Although payment for the ship was complete, the British government seized it for use by the Royal Navy in August 1914 and renamed it the HMS Agincourt. This caused resentment in the Ottoman Empire and led to their decision to join the Central Powers during World War I.
Ottoman Navy Gallery
The next gallery focuses on the Ottoman Navy. Fittingly, a piece of the chain used by the Byzantines to block entry to the Golden Horn during the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 sits at the beginning of the exhibit.
The gallery then continues with several interesting artifacts and works of art. One that caught my eye was the standard used by Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha (1478-1546), the admiral of the Ottoman Navy who secured their dominance over the Mediterranean in the 16th century.
Navigational instruments are an important feature of this exhibit. Items such as hourglasses and an inclinometer helped captains navigate the seas with accuracy.
After a small room with a timeline of the Ottoman Navy, the exhibit turns down another corridor featuring more works of art, weapons, and model ships.
The most interesting piece is a cannon in the shape of a winged dragon spitting fire from his mouth. It was made in Austria and captured during the Second Siege of Vienna in 1683, commanded by Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha (1645-1683).
Finally, there’s a recreation of the office of the Minister of the Navy. It includes furniture and a painting of Bozcaadalı Hasan Hüsnü Pasha (1832-1903), the founder of the Istanbul Naval Museum.
Republican Navy Gallery
The next section on the second floor focuses on the navy of the Turkish Republic. It contains more of the same items on display as the Ottoman section but much more modern.
The exhibit features a small room with a timeline of the Turkish Navy as well as model ships, nameplates, weapons, paintings, and other artifacts.
Naval Uniforms from Past to Present
The final section on the second floor of the Istanbul Naval Museum displays naval uniforms from the Ottoman era up through the Turkish Republic.
The uniforms shown are for several different ranking members of the navy, from sailors all the way up to admirals. Adornments such as stars and buttons are also exhibited.
First Floor of the Istanbul Naval Museum
The first floor of the Istanbul Naval Museum has two sections. One is dedicated to the memory of sailors and officers killed on duty while the other focuses on Atatürk.
Martyrs and Gazis
The first hall is the Martyrs and Gazis Exhibition. It memorializes the sailors and naval officers killed on duty for the Ottoman Empire and Turkey.
One section of the exhibit that caught my eye told the tragic story of the Ottoman frigate Ertuğrul, which was launched on October 19, 1863. While returning from a goodwill voyage to Japan, it encountered a typhoon off the coast of Kushimoto. The ship hit a reef and sunk on September 18, 1890. Over 500 sailors and officers died, including Rear Admiral Ali Osman Pasha.
The survivors, six officers and 63 sailors, were rescued and transported back to Constantinople aboard Japanese corvettes Kongō and Hiei. A model of the two Japanese ships as well as several letters, documents, photos, and artifacts round out the display.
Two small rooms are attached to the Martyrs and Gazis Exhibition. One honors sailors killed during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974.
The other is dedicated to those killed at the Turkish Naval Headquarters in Gölcük during the 1999 Izmit earthquake. There are before and after pictures of the buildings.
Atatürk and the Ertuğrul
The second hall on the first floor focuses on Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The first section displays his belongings from the yacht Ertuğrul between 1925 and 1937.
The yacht was built in England, launched on December 3, 1903, and delivered to the Ottoman Navy in 1904 for use as the sultanate yacht. After it became the presidential yacht in 1924, Atatürk used it to host many foreign heads of state. The Ertuğrul was decommissioned in 1937.
Atatürk and the Savarona
The other section is about Atatürk and the yacht Savarona. The Savarona was built by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, Germany, for American heiress Emily Roebling Cadwalader (d. 1941). It was the largest yacht in the world when launched on February 28, 1931, at 136 meters (446 feet).
Atatürk admired the Savarona very much, and the Turkish government purchased it on February 23, 1938. It was delivered to an ailing Atatürk as a gift on June 1, 1938, with the purpose of helping him regain his health. He boarded the yacht outside Dolmabahçe Palace and stayed on it until July 25, for a total of 55 days. The yacht later participated in the funeral of Atatürk on November 19, 1938.
Basement of the Istanbul Naval Museum
The basement is the last section visitors pass through at the Istanbul Naval Museum. It fittingly contains artifacts used under the sea, including a fantastic exhibition of historical diving equipment.
Historical Diving Equipment
The collection of historical diving equipment was acquired by the Istanbul Naval Museum in 2016. It was donated by Cem (Jeff) Hakko, a lover of the sea and the chairman of Vakko. He put together the collection over a period of 30 years.
The historical diving equipment collection is one of the finest of its kind in the world. It chronicles the history and improvement in diving equipment throughout the years. On display are helmets, boots, weights, suits, air pumps and hoses, and more.
Yavuz Exhibit
Another room displays equipment and artifacts from the battleship Yavuz. The Yavuz was originally built as the SMS Goeben for the German Navy. It was launched on March 28, 1911, and commissioned on July 2, 1912. The ship was transferred to the Ottoman Navy on August 16, 1914, and renamed the Yavuz Sultan Selim.
The German commander of the ship, Rear Admiral Wilhelm Souchon (1864-1946), was named the commander-in-chief of the Ottoman Navy. He then sealed the Ottoman Empire’s fate by attacking Russian Black Sea ports at Sevastopol, Odessa, Batumi, and others. This prompted a retaliation by the British Navy and forced the Ottomans to join the Central Powers during World War I.
After the formation of the Turkish Republic, the Yavuz became the flagship of the Turkish Navy. It carried the remains of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938) from Istanbul to Izmit during his funeral. The ship was decommissioned on December 20, 1950.
Turkey offered to sell the Yavuz to West Germany as a museum ship, but the offer was declined and the ship was sold for scrap in 1973. The Yavuz was the last surviving ship built by the Imperial German Navy and the longest-serving dreadnought-type ship in any navy.
