ISTANBUL NAVAL MUSEUM

* İstanbul Naval Museum is the biggest naval museum in Turkey and one of the few museums in the world with its variety of collections.

* Its glorious collections contain 20.000 objects.

* The Naval Museum under the command of Turkish Naval Forces is the first military museum established in Turkey.

Their vision is to develop our collection of historical objects and documents, obtain new objects and documents which will be transferred from the present to the future and provide preservation and maintenance, bring the archive of our naval history to light and have a referable prosperous source of information.

Their mission is to conduct scientific researches which will enlighten naval history about objects and documents of Turkish naval history inherited from the past to the present with cooperation of museum and university, bring out their historical qualities, publish the scientific results about these issues and provide the exhibition and storage these values consistent with scientific mentality of museology that will transfer them to the next generation.

The Naval Museum was founded on August 31st, 1987 by Lieutenant Commander Suleyman NUTKI. At first, the museum was opened mainly as a repository of unclassified objects. However, in 1914 the Minister of the Navy Cemal Pasha renovated the museum as in all other aspects of the Navy and provided a reformation scientifically as he appointed Naval Painter Lieutenant Ali Sami BOYAR as director.

The museum was moved to “Nakkashane” building in Kasimpasa in 1933 and opened under the name of “Naval Museum Directorate”. It was moved on September 27th, 1961 to its current location at pier square in Besiktas next to the tomb and monument of Admiral-in-Chief Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha.