Istanbul Maritime Museum

The Naval Museum was established on 31 August 1897 by Major Süleyman Nutki, with the orders of the Minister of the Navy Bozcaadalı Hasan Hüsnü Pasha and the support of the Shipyard Commander Admiral Arif Hikmet Pasha, in the building belonging to the Mine Detachment Command in the Tersane-i Amire, as one of the rare examples in the world. and Library Administration". It was not classified before, it was opened as a museum warehouse. Cemal Pasha, who became the Minister of the Navy in 1914, reformed the museum as well as in all branches of maritime, and brought Marine Captain Painter Ali Sami Boyar to the directorate, allowing the museum to be reorganized scientifically. Ali Sami Boyar published the first catalog of the museum in 1917, establishing a "ship model workshop" for making full and half models of Turkish ships, and a "casting-mannequin workshop" where mannequins were made, forming the basis for the development of the museum and taking its current form. The museum, which was moved to the Nakkaşhane building in Kasımpaşa in 1933, was opened this time under the name of "Naval Museum Directorate". In World War II, it was transferred to Ankara, Izmit and Niğde to protect it from possible destruction. In 1946, it was decided to re-establish the museum in Istanbul, and it was first stored in today's Northern Sea Area Command building, and then moved to the Dolmabahçe Mosque Hünkar Mahfeli. Under the administration of the new museum director, Haluk Şehsuvaroğlu, in the autumn of 1948, during the 410th anniversary of the Preveza Naval Victory, it was opened to visitors under the name "Naval Museum and Archives Directorate". During the expansion of the Dolmabahçe road in 1956, the garage and boathouse building, which is one of the outbuildings of the museum, was expropriated, and the archives and documents found here were moved to the Coachmen's Office, located in the northern part of the Dolmabahçe Palace (today's Naval History Archive building). Finally, on September 27, 1961, it was moved to its current location, next to the monument and tomb of Turkish Admiral Admiral Captain Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, in İskele Square in Beşiktaş district. It was opened in its new building on October 4, 2013. It continues to exist as one of the few museums in the world in terms of the diversity of its collection and the largest in the field of maritime in Turkey.