Erdoğan opens five new museums at Topkapı Palace, unveiling 10,500 artifacts

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presided over the opening of five museums at Istanbul’s Topkapı Palace, making 10,500 previously stored artifacts accessible to visitors after a seven-year renovation of the Darphane-i Amire complex. The restoration transformed seven historic buildings, comprising 46 halls over 17,000 sq m, into museum venues that now house the Ottoman empire’s first arms museum and over 2,000 examples of Islamic calligraphy displayed in 12 halls.

Erdoğan described the complex as a model cultural district and warned against earlier policies that he said stripped Turkey of its historical identity. He noted that the palace’s collection previously showed 7,500 works, and the new museums boost its global standing. The president also announced ongoing work on Edirne Palace, slated for completion next year, to further preserve Ottoman architectural heritage.