Istanbul Museum of Printing Press

There is a real cult of football and newspapers in Istanbul. The local press is respected, honored and loved by all citizens. No wonder they’ve opened... the Museum of Printing Press!

Each morning a Turk begins with a cup of coffee, cigarette and newspaper. And if smoking is gradually receding into the past - many people in Istanbul give up this bad habit and the city authorities are struggling against smoking - the newspaper will remain forever. Turkish people love to gossip about the news which they find in the newspapers.

Istanbul people proved their love for the press and opened the Press Museum in Istanbul. It is situated in a very important place in Istanbul: between the column of Constantine and the mausoleum of Sultan Mahmud II. This is not a little house, as one might expect, but a huge three-storied building. It looks with its front at the central avenue of the historical center of Istanbul, Sultanahmet district.

A few words about the building. It is a landmark of the city, since it was built by the famous architect Fosatti. The most powerful courtiers of the Ottoman Empire ordered his drawings, for example, the Minister of Education Mehmed Esad Saffet Pasa. This was the second half of the 19th century, a time when the Ottoman Empire tried to catch up with the world’s education, industry, literacy...
Therefore, the building housed the University of Istanbul, and several classrooms were given to the officials of the Ministry of Education, who looked after the students.

In 1984 by decision of city authorities the building was handed to the Istanbul Union of Journalists. Thanks to that Union, they’ve opened in 1988 a unique in Turkey - and one of the seven existing in the world - Press Museum. Since then, the museum annually exhibits its large collection relating to the history of the press in Istanbul.

Among the exhibits there are rare copies of Istanbul newspapers and magazines of the 19th century, a huge photo archive of this ancient city, historical documents, boards for printing... And even the model of the press, where for the first time in the Ottoman Empire they’ve made a printed book (it was "Arabic Dictionary", published at the beginning of 18th century). Moreover, there is a special room in the museum, which stores documents and things of journalists who died during their investigations - the first Istanbul journalist killed for seeking the truth was Hasan Bey. He was killed in 1909 by order of Sultan Abdul Hamid...

The museum is open every day except Saturdays and Sundays. Admission hours: from 10:00 to 17:00. Free admission.