Sakıp Sabancı Museum

The Sabancı Museum occupies the Atlı Köşk, the Horse Mansion, an early-twentieth-century villa on the Emirgan hillside that was the Sabancı family home, with a modern gallery wing added when it opened as a museum in 2002. The permanent holdings are strong on Islamic calligraphy - Qur'ans, imperial monograms, albums and calligraphers' tools spanning several centuries - along with Ottoman and early Republican painting, furniture and the family's own decorative collections, shown in the restored rooms of the villa. The modern wing is what brings the crowds: it has hosted Picasso, Rodin, Dalí, Monet, Ai Weiwei and Anish Kapoor among others, in exhibitions that draw long queues. The gardens run down toward the Bosphorus with sculpture, old trees and a terrace restaurant, and Emirgan Grove next door is one of the main sites of the April tulip festival, which makes spring the best time to combine the two.

Highlights

• The calligraphy collection - Qur'ans, tughras and albums.
• The restored villa - the family rooms and their furnishings.
• The temporary wing - major international touring shows.
• The gardens - sculpture and terraces down toward the water.

When to go

April to June, when the gardens and the neighbouring tulip beds are at their best. Closed on Mondays. Big exhibitions queue - book online.

What to expect

Major temporary shows carry a separate, higher ticket and can be very crowded. It is up the Bosphorus with no metro - bus or taxi. The restaurant is expensive.

Nearby

Emirgan Grove is next door; Rumeli Fortress and Bebek are south along the shore.

Key facts