My experience of visiting the Museum of Innocence in Istanbul

Innocence Museum is one of the must-see places in Istanbul and one of the most spectacular museums in Turkey. It is located in a beautiful place in front of the Bosphorus Strait. Established in a historic building, this museum has received many awards, including the award of the best museum in Europe in 2014.

The feature that has made Istanbul’s Innocence Museum a popular place is not the historical structure of the museum nor its collection but its founder, Orhan Pamuk, which has made this place a hangout for Turkish literature lovers.

Orhan Pamuk established this museum in connection with his famous book ” Innocence Museum ” to show a picture of the life of the Turkish aristocracy in the seventies.

Why is it recommended to visit Istanbul Innocence Museum?

• It was built in a building belonging to the 19th century.
• It consists of a collection of beautiful objects taken from the heart of a readable novel.
• It consists of an attractive and pleasant atmosphere that delights the novel’s readers and encourages other visitors to read it.
• It is located near many attractions in Istanbul.

History of Istanbul Innocence Museum

Orhan Pamuk started his museum collection project in 1990, and when he was asked about his purpose in establishing this museum, he answered:

“My purpose is to display real objects that created an imaginary story.”Regarding the collection of works in the museum, he said that some objects were taken from friends and acquaintances, and others were collected from all over the world and brought to this place.

After the collection of this museum was completed, he got help from some prominent Turkish architects and designers for the museum’s interior design. He opened the museum’s doors to lovers of literature and art in 2012.

The novel Museum of Innocence 

This museum is named after the famous novel of this Turkish author who won the Nobel Prize for Literature. The Museum of Innocence is the first museum in the world that was built based on a novel.

The novel has been published in more than 60 countries and tells the love story of a young man named “Kamal” from a wealthy and literate family with a beautiful girl from his poor relatives named “Fusun.”

In this story, Orhan Pamuk depicts Istanbul as a city passing from tradition to modernity, where there is a problematic coexistence between the freedoms of modern and traditional life. Perhaps this museum represents the life of a broad class of people who lived in that era.

Pamuk emphasizes that both ideas, the novel and the museum, grew together and says:

It was not that I had written a good book and then thought I could now create a museum based on this book. When my daughter was little, I walked her to school every day, and I passed a building on a street corner. Suddenly, one day, a strange idea came to me to tell a story about this house. That’s why I bought it and started writing.

Works of Istanbul Innocence Museum

The unique feature that turns these simple objects into precious works is their close connection with Orhan Pamuk’s readable and fascinating novel. With its collection of works, the museum narrates a beautiful story, even for people who have not yet read the novel Museum of Innocence.

Istanbul Museum of Innocence shows us that objects, even if they belong to a fictional story, can sometimes get out of their instrumental state.

What are the cost and the right time to visit Istanbul’s Innocence Museum?

Regarding the right time to visit the Istanbul Innocence Museum, it takes an hour to visit the various parts of this museum and its beautiful and spectacular objects. But if you have limited time, you can visit this place briefly in 30 minutes.

On all days of the week except Mondays, you can visit Innocence Museum from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. You have until 16:30 to buy tickets. The ticket price is about 300 lira in 2024. Keep in mind that only the museum’s first floor is wheelchair accessible.

Innocence Museum building

The Innocence Museum building is an old three-story house made in the 19th century. Orhan Pamuk consulted a German museum architect and other experts to turn the building into a museum. The Innocence Museum was opened to enthusiasts with a stunning arrangement.

Pamuk searched for a house that would resemble the atmosphere created in the story and finally found it in Istanbul’s Cukur Juma neighborhood. During the Ottoman era, the Cukur Juma neighborhood was a place for the business of the rich people of the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey.

How to go to Istanbul Innocence Museum?

The Istanbul Museum of Innocence is located in the Cukur Jumay neighborhood of Istanbul, between İstiklal Street and the Artillery District, and it is straightforward to access. You can go to the nearest tram station in Istanbul and get off at the Artillery station near the Istanbul Innocence Museum. You can reach Istanbul Innocence Museum by walking a short distance (about 8 minutes).