The Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Museum, which is affiliated with the General Directorate of Foundations and located in the Beyazıt District of Istanbul, is located in the Beyazıt Madrasah belonging to the Beyazıt II Complex. Since there used to be a large rectangular pool to the right of the entrance door, it is also known among the public as the “Pool Madrasah”.
We have tried to bring together everything you are curious about the Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Museum, which is among the most important and worth-seeing museums of Istanbul, a museum and art city. Here is the Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Museum travel guide we have prepared for you, where you can find answers to questions such as where is the Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Museum, how to get there, how much is the entrance fee, which days it is open, what is exhibited, etc.
History of the Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Museum
The foundation calligraphy museum was first established in 1969 in the Sultan Selim Madrasah on Vatan Street in Istanbul under the name of the Turkish Calligraphy Museum.
This museum, which was established in the Sultan Selim Madrasah, did not last long and when the madrasah was allocated to a health institution, the works in it were taken under protection for a while in the Fatih Mosque complex. The new location of the museum was determined as the madrasah of the Beyazıt complex and it was reopened in 1984 under the name of the Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Museum. The Foundation Calligraphy Museum, located in Beyazıt, Fatih district of Istanbul, is currently located in the madrasah of the Sultan II. Beyazıt Complex.
The madrasah was built in 1506-1508 together with the Sultan II. Beyazıt complex. The center of this structure, which is in the classical Ottoman madrasah plan layout in the northwest of the mosque, is the square-planned, domed classroom section. It consists of 13 rooms on three sides. Cut stone and brick were used in its construction, and a row of stones and a row of bricks were observed in the classroom. The entrance door is domed and has a very plain appearance. A pediment consisting of rumi and hatayi motifs is placed on it. The madrasah rooms with porticos in front of them have a plan close to a square and are domed.
There are 14 exhibition sections in the Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Museum.
What’s in the Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Museum?
The museum contains Kufi script Qurans, Indian and Maghreb script manuscripts, treatises, panels, wooden laminated works and Thuluth panels. Talik manuscripts and panels, mirrored writings, stacked writings, Nesih Qurans, Thuluth and Muhakkak manuscripts, icazets, hilyas, meşks, ethnographic displays.
In addition to manuscripts and tablets, there are 3638 works in the museum, 277 of which are in the exhibition, written on various materials (stone, glass, fabric, metal). Sacred relics are also exhibited in the classroom room. The works in the museum are exhibited by separating them according to their types of writing, with the primary focus being educational. There are two sundials made by Ahmet Ziya Bey in the museum garden.
Where is the Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Museum?
The Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Museum, which is affiliated with the General Directorate of Foundations and located in Beyazıt, Fatih District of Istanbul, is located in the Beyazıt Madrasah, which belongs to the Beyazıt II Complex. Since there used to be a large rectangular pool to the right of the entrance door, it is also known among the public as the “Pool Madrasah”.
How to Get to the Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Museum?
You can easily reach the Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Museum by public transportation or your private vehicle.
Those who want to come by bus can reach the region by taking the 32A, 35A, 36ES, 38, 38Z, 41Y, 77A, 92B, 97, 97G, HVİST-12 buses.
Those who want to come by tram should use the T1 line. There is also transportation by Metro M1B-M2 and Marmaray.
How Much is the Entrance Fee for the Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Museum?
The Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Museum, which hosts very important works, has unfortunately been closed for restoration since 2009. For this reason, it will be possible to learn what the current entrance fee will be only after it opens.
Which Days is the Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Museum Open?
As with other similar museums, the visiting hours of the Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Museum are all days of the week, at the specified hours. However, as we mentioned above, the museum is currently closed to visitors due to restoration work. It is not yet possible to say the museum’s entrance hours, as there is no information about when it will open.