Great Palace Mosaics Museum
In the Arasta Bazaar, this museum exhibits Byzantine floor mosaics from the Great Palace. You'll see hunting scenes, animals and mythical figures preserved in remarkable detail.
Tucked behind the Blue Mosque in the vaulted Arasta Bazaar, the museum displays mosaics that once covered the peristyle courtyard of the Great Palace of Constantinople. Excavations in the 1930s and 1950s brought them back to light, and they remain among the largest surviving works of the Byzantine palace. The floor panels show hunting scenes with lions, gazelles and a bear fighting a snake, alongside rural vignettes and mythological creatures. Stone and terracotta tesserae still feel vivid underfoot, and a raised viewing platform lets you take in the full sweep. The space is compact, so allow around an hour to walk through slowly and study the motifs that few visitors expect to find just steps from Sultanahmet Square.
“To see the largest surviving floor mosaics from the Byzantine emperors' palace, hidden right by the Blue Mosque.”
Enter from the Blue Mosque side of Arasta Bazaar before 11am to avoid tour groups; the museum feels much larger when it's empty.
Entrance involves a few steps from the bazaar; wheelchair access is not guaranteed—call ahead to check.
Good to know
- Is Great Palace Mosaics Museum free to visit?
- TL 340
- How long should you spend at Great Palace Mosaics Museum?
- ~1h
- When is the best time to visit Great Palace Mosaics Museum?
- Morning
- Is Great Palace Mosaics Museum wheelchair accessible?
- Entrance involves a few steps from the bazaar; wheelchair access is not guaranteed—call ahead to check.
