Istanbul Modern Art Museum

The Istanbul Modern, as it's called (or Istanbul Museum of Modern Art), is a fine modern art museum (Istanbul Modern Sanat Müzesi) located in a vast former dock warehouse in Tophane (TOHP-hah-neh) on the southern Bosphorus shore one km north of the Galata Bridge and Karaköy (Galata) and south of Kabatas and Dolmabahçe Palace.

Take the Zeytinburnu-Findikli-(Besiktas) tram toward Findikli and get out at the Tophane stop.

Walk past the Ottoman baroque Tophane Camii (Tophane mosque) on the mosque's north side. (Don't confuse the Tophane mosque with the smaller, darker Kiliç Ali Pasha mosque to the south.)

Just past the Tophane mosque, turn right, pass through a barrier gate, then bear right and look for the museum building. Guards will assist you.

Opened in 2004, the museum is sparely, beautifully done. Changing exhibits include works by both Turkish and foreign artists, although the museum's prime purpose is to encourage the creation of modern art in Turkey, so Turkish artists are rightly given primacy of place.

For news of current and future exhibits, consult the Istanbul Modern's website which has a small English section, although most of the site is in Turkish only.

Istanbul Modern is open from 10:00 am to 18:00 (6 pm), Thursday until 20:00 (8 pm), closed Monday. Admission costs YTL5, but is free from 10:00 am to 14:00 (2 pm) daily, and free all the time for children under 12 and for the disabled.

After you're done visiting the museum you can have a snack and smoke a nargile (water pipe) at the long row of nargile cafes right by the Tophane mosque.

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Istanbul Modern Art Museum, Turkey

The Istanbul Modern Art Museum, very near the Tophane Camii (Tophane Mosque, below).

Istanbul Modern Interior, Turkey

Tophane Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey