Occupying the warehouse-like Dolmabahçe Palace kitchens, this museum exhibits items used in the royal palaces and pavilions during the late Ottoman Empire and early Turkish Republic. It is a fascinating hotchpotch of some 5000 objects, including palace portraits and photos, tea sets, tiled Islamic wall inscriptions, prayer rugs and embroidery. Hereke carpets and Yıldız Porselen Fabrikası porcelain are also here.
Don’t be put off by the heavy police presence and metal fencing around the museum entrance; it’s there to guard the Turkish president’s office in an adjacent part of the palace complex.
