04 Aug Grand Palace Mosaics Museum in Istanbul – Beautiful story about patience and focus

Nowadays, hardly anyone embarks on a venture without consulting a tutorial, right? Whether it’s a recipe, a car breakdown or a computer task, we make sure to consult Google, YouTube or Tiktok to confirm the correct procedure.

That is why the Grand Palace Mosaics Museum in Istanbul is extra special, because in addition to its undoubted beauty and historical importance, it is an ode to human skill, patience and focus, showing us the life of people about 1,500 years ago.

Key info & history

The Grand Palace Mosaics Museum in Istanbul is a relatively young museum, i.e. the treasure hidden in it was discovered relatively recently. It contains mosaics that formed the peristyle of the Constantinople Palace, most likely during the time of Emperor Justinian (527-565), although recent research shows that it is more likely that they were created somewhat later, during the reign of Heraclius I (610-641). On the website of the museum itself, there is information that the mosaics are older than the above and that they were created between 450 and 550.

The mosaic was discovered only during the detailed excavations of Arasta Bazaar in 1935, when British archaeologists discovered that near the Hagia Sophia there was this treasure – the courtyard of a Roman palace whose area of 1,872 square meters was completely covered with detailed mosaics depicting the life of Romeo of that era. as well as the nature that surrounded them and the myths they believed in.

Numbers & facts

The museum is located very close to the Hagia Sophia, inside the Arasta Bazaar in the Sultanahmet district, very close to the main landmarks of Istanbul and therefore very convenient to visit.

This museum is open every day throughout the year, which is a really nice thing. During the summer working hours (April – October) it works from 9 am to 7 pm, while during the rest of the year it works until 6:30 pm. Tickets are very cheap, and at the time of writing are only around €3.50, which is very cheap in any case, especially in terms of the value that this museum carries.

The optimal time for a visit is about an hour, and the crowds are really rare, because according to the locals, this museum is mostly not on guided tours, so you will enjoy peace during your visit and you will be able to pay as much attention to each mosaic as you want.

Trivia

Mosaic grains were made of limestone, terracotta and that colored stones have an average size of 5mm. There are 150 human and animal figures and 90 different themes on the mosaics.

Not to miss

All the mosaics are absolutely incredible, and there is nothing that stands out. Be sure to read interesting stories about the excavation and restoration – they are placed on the walls, together with photographs of the process.

Best photo spot

Visitors can walk on a path over the mosaics, so there is a little space to make an original selfie. We suggest taking macro photographs of mosaics, so the details could be visible. Check our Instagram highlights – there are some cool wallpapers that you could use!

Souvenir shop

Souvenir shop is really cool, and, like everything in Istanbul, prices are very reasonable. Magnets are especially great – there is a great choice of different mosaics that could make your fridge really beautiful and present a great memory of this visit.

Our final impression

Grand Palace Mosaics Museum is a valuable place of World heritage and it should be a must-visit place if you’re coming to Istanbul. There are many reasons to do so – overall, the experience is amazing and we are sure that almost everyone will enjoy this museum, but also the location is convenient so the visit to Hagia Sofia should include a visit to this place as well.

After the visit

Take a walk around the Arasta bazaar and enjoy the wide range of colorful shops. After that, eat something good – we suggest a kebab at the street restaurant Turgut kebab, lunch at the traditional restaurant Divella bistro or at the fish restaurant Ahhir Kapi.