Museums of Istanbul: Naval Museum
02.12.2019
The museums of Istanbul shed light on the history of our country with its roots dating back thousands of years. Lieutenant Colonel Gökhan Atmaca gave information about the Naval Museum, a museums that enlightens the Turkish naval history.
The Naval Museum , the largest museum of Turkey in the maritime field, is among the leading museums of the world, in terms of the variety of its collections. The Naval Museum, which has been displaying its rich collection to its visitors for 125 years, continues to tell the history of Turkish navy to visitors.
The Naval Museum is located next to the tomb and monument of the Chief Admiral Barbaros Pasha, who played an important role in winning the Battle of Preveza. Lieutenant Colonel Gökhan Atmaca, Branch Manager, who gave information about the museum, said: "The museum's core collection was compiled in 1897 by Major Süleyman Nutki. The initial core collection includes ship parts and weapons.”
"The museum, which was located inside premises of Dolmabahçe Mosque for a short period in 1948, was moved in 1961 to the premises which included Nuri Demirağ Aircraft Factory and Barbaros Hayrettin's foundation and the old finance building" said Lieutenant Colonel Atmaca and added that the story of the 125-year-old museum has been continuing in Beşiktaş for the last 50 years. Lieutenant Colonel Atmaca who talked about the collection of the museum which are displayed in the new smart building of the museum since 2013, said, “The collection includes historical boats, ship parts, historical weapons, flags, textile works, glass and stone works and wooden works. There are more than 23 thousand works in the museum; 10 percent of these works are displayed." and added that the Naval Museum is one of the richest military museums in the world in terms of variety.
At the entrance and upper floor of the museum, busts of important people of Turkish naval history; the lifeboat of Savarona, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's' Yacht and the boats he used; the royal boats, and the crests used on ships are displayed. After passing via the connection to the area on the second floor where the artifacts belonging to the Ottoman and Republican Periods are displayed, there is a collection that addresses the history of diving in another area which attracts the attention of visitors.
In the Museum, the Maritime History is Transferred to the Next Generations
While visiting the museum, the Lieutenant Colonel Atmaca who stated that artifacts which may be older than the history of many countries in the world could be seen, said "If you examine the 19th century royal boats you can observe how the sultans crossed the Bosphorus; and if you examine the boats used by the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, you can observe the importance he attached to the sailor and the navy, although he was an infantry officer. If you look at the elements of the Ottoman and Republican Navy displayed in the other section of the museum, you can see how the Navy's inventory has evolved from the past to the present.”
Lieutenant Colonel Atmaca who stated that the main function of the Naval Museum was to transfer the naval history to future generations, said, "In addition to the museum, we have the responsibility of the 200-year old naval documents. Our archives contain approximately 25 thousand folders and about 3-3 and a half million documents. An archives are open to people and researchers who want to study the marine history and navy. There are currently more than 21 thousand books in our library. The Marine Specialization Library serves as a subsidiary unit supporting the archives." and added that the researchers could benefit from the library as well as the archives.
Next to the Naval Museum is the Tomb of Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, built by Mimar Sinan. Lieutenant Colonel Atmaca said that the ships of the Turkish Navy would greet Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha on the to honor him spiritually before sailing to the Black Sea.
Lieutenant Colonel Atmaca who stated that the most prominent indication of the communities that engage in shipping are marine museums said "The best place where you can pass your maritime knowledge to future generations or visitors from abroad is the museum. We expect everyone, especially young people, to visit our museum. We believe that the two-hour adventure that they will experience here will invoke different emotions and thoughts when they exit." He added that the museum is free for students.
