Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

chandeliers and highly polished wooden floors. Inside are packed shelves of Turkish books and literary items such as pens belonging to Ayşe Kulin, author of Last Train to Istanbul .

İSTANBUL MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY IN ISLAM

MUSEUM

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; İstanbul İslam Bilim ve Teknoloji Tarihi Müzesi; % 0212-528 8065; www.ibttm.org; Has Ahırlar Binaları, Gülhane Park; adult/child under 12yr ₺ 10/free; h 9am-6.30pm Wed-Mon mid-Apr– Oct, to 4.30pm Nov–mid-Apr, last entry 30min before closing; j Gülhane) Of interest to science buffs, the didactic exhibition in the museum argues that Islamic advances in science and technology preceded and greatly influenced those in Europe. Most of the exhibits are reconstructions of historical instruments and tools used by astronomers, seafarers and others. The physics room has some of the best contraptions, including a steam-powered turn-spit, built from notes left by a 16th-century Ottoman scholar, and an 11th-century entertainment machine, which operates a scene of moving figures using water power. Also look out for the models of trebuchet counterweight catapults in the military room, and those of İstanbul’s great mosques. MARMARA UNIVERSITY REPUBLICAN MUSEUM ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Üçler Sokak; h 10am-5pm Tue-Sun; j Sultanahmet) F Located at the southern end of the Hippodrome, this museum is housed in a handsome example of Ottoman Revivalism, a homegrown architectural style popular in the late 19th century. On display is the university’s collection of original Turkish prints and etchings from the 1920s to the present day, including work by İhap Hulusi Görey, who introduced coloured posters to Turkey. NAKKAŞ ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-516 5222; www.nakkasrug.com; Nakilbent Sokak 13; h 9am-7pm; j Sultanahmet) F This renovated 6th-century cistern houses exhibits of virtual and physical models that recreate the nearby Hippodrome as it was in its heyday. Also

MUSEUM

MUSEUM