Each museum in Istanbul contributes a piece to the vast cultural jigsaw of this cosmopolitan city. From Ancient Greek remains and early Chinese ceramics, which arrived in the city along the Silk Route, to 16th-century tiles commissioned for the great mosques and modern industrial machinery, each has its place in the history of Istanbul. Many of the larger museums have a wide range of exhibits and therefore feature under several of the headings below.

ARCHAEOLOGY

The archaeological fruits of the expansive Ottoman Empire are displayed in the Archaeological Museum, where the exhibits range from monumental 6th-century BC Babylonian friezes to exquisite classical sarcophagi and statues. Classical sculpture fills the ground floor. Upstairs there is a gallery for the archaeology of Syria and Cyprus. Ancient oriental finds are housed in an annexe. The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts features specifically Muslim artifacts, including early Iraqi and Iranian ceramics as well as beautiful displays of glassware, metalwork and woodwork.

BYZANTINE ANTIQUITIES

Although Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire for over 1,000 years, it can be hard to get a full picture of the city in that period. The best place to start is the Archaeological Museum, which has displays illustrating the city's Byzantine history. Its courtyard contains the purple sarcophagi of the Byzantine emperors.
For Byzantine church mosaics, visit the Church of St Saviour in Chora near the city walls which has some particularly fine examples vividly depicting the lives of Christ and the Virgin Mary. The impressive Haghia Sophia has a few brilliant gold mosaics remaining, some dating back to the reign of Justinian. The galleries and upper walls of the Church of the Pammakaristos are covered with mosaics, although public access is restricted.
The Mosaic Museum houses mosaic floors and murals from the now-vanished Byzantine Great Palace , which were discovered by archaeologists in 1938. The Sadberk Hanim Museum also houses several Byzantine antiquities, including icons, ceramics and jewellery.

CALLIGRAPHY

In the days before the printed word, Ottoman calligraphy developed into a highly skilled artform, widely used both to ornament religious texts and legal documents and decrees. The Museum of Calligraphy mounts a continuous series of temporary exhibitions. Early Koranic calligraphy can be viewed in Topkapi Palace, the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts and the Sakıp Sabancı Museum .

CERAMICS

Experts and amateurs come from all over the world to view the collection of Chinese ceramics and porcelain on display in the kitchens of Topkapi Palace. The earliest examples provided the inspiration for Turkey's indigenous ceramic production at İznik . Examples of İznik tiles can be seen on the walls of Topkapi Palace and in the city's mosques. İznik tiles and also pottery are on display in the çinili Pavilion, an annexe of the Archaeological Museum.
A wider selection of ceramics from all over the Islamic world can be found in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.

OTTOMAN INTERIORS

Byzantine mosaic floor in the Mosaic Museum jewellery.
The interiors that can be visited in Istanbul run the gamut from the classical Ottoman styling of the older parts of Topkapi Palace to extravagant European-inspired 19th-century decor. In the latter category, the huge Dolmabahce Palace set the style. It was decorated with Bohemian glass and Hereke carpets and has an ornate central stairway fashioned of crystal and brass. The Pavilion of the Linden Tree and the Rococo Kucuksu Palace, although more intimate in scale, are equally lavish in their interior style.

TEXTILES

The Ottomans were justifiably proud of their textile Iradition, which can be admired in the huge imperial costume collection at Topkapi Palace, begun in 1850. The palace collection houses older materials, including kaftans dating back to the 15th cen-lury. The Sadberk Hanim Museum houses magnificent, mostly 19th-century pieces on the top floor and some fine examples of embroidery.
On a larger scale, tb are huge imperial campaign tents in the Military Museum, which also has a collection of miniature Janissary costumes. Uniforms, nomadic tents and fine carpets are on display in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. Antique carpets can also be seen in the Vakiflar Carpet Museum, housed in an
annexe of the Blue Mosque. It contains some valuable old carpets that come originally from mosques all over Turkey.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Examples of typical Turkish instruments, such as the saz (lute), can be found in a museum devoted to them at Aynali Kavak Palace. Those played by the Whirling Dervishes are on display at the Mevlevi Monastery. Instruments can also be seen, and bought, in two shops situated near the entrance to Gulhane Park . Traditional Turkish military instruments can be heard being played at the Military Museum.

MILITARÍA

The beautiful barges in which the Ottoman sultans were rowed around Golden Horn and le Bosphorus are part of the Naval Museum collection. Currently closed for renovations, the museum is due to re-open in 2008. Weapons and armour from the 12th-20th centuries can be found in the Military Museum, along with a cannon, captured by the Turks during their European campaigns. There is a smaller selection of weaponry in the armoury of Topkapi Palace. The Florence Nightingale Museum (in the Selimiye Barracks on the Asian Side) commemorates the work of the nurse during the Crimean War. It also has some interesting military exhibits.

PAINTING

Close to Dolmabahce Palace is Istanbul's Museum of Fine Arts, which offers a collection of largely late 19th- and early 20th-century Turkish paintings. Those interested in more contemporary works of art may also like to visit the changing exhibitions at the Taksim Art Gallery.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Located in a converted warehouse in the heart of Istanbul's docks is the Rahmi Koç Museum. It is home to a selection of mechanical and scientific instruments dating from the early years of the Industrial Revolution, as well as an entire reconstructed bridge taken from an early 20th-century ship.