Aşiyan Museum () is the house of famous

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

poet

Tevfik Fikret Tevfik Fikret () was the pseudonym of Mehmed Tevfik (December 24, 1867 – August 19, 1915), an Ottoman educator and poet, who is considered the founder of the modern school of Turkish poetry. Biography Family Mehmed Tevfik was born in Is ...

(1867–1915) at

Aşiyan Aşiyan is a quarter between Bebek, Beşiktaş, Bebek and Rumelihisarı in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is situated on the European side of the Bosphorus. Aşiyan Museum and Aşiyan Asri Cemetery are located in the quarter. ...

neighborhood of

Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 18 km2 and its population is 175,190 (2022). It is located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and ...

district in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. It was built in 1906 and later in 1945 converted to a museum. The museum is owned by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

Building

Tevfik Fikret lived in the house from 1906 until his death in 1915. The building was acquired in 1940 by the municipality from his wife Nazime with the initiative of

Lütfi Kırdar Mehmet Lütfi Kırdar (March 15, 1887 – February 17, 1961) was a Turkish physician, civil servant, politician and Minister of Health and Social Security. He is best remembered for his long-term position as the Governor and Mayor of Istanbul. ...

, Mayor and Governor of Istanbul, and was converted into a museum named Museum of New Literature (). The museum opened in 1945. The museum was renamed Aşiyan in 1961 after the remains of Tevfik Fikret, which initially were buried at the

Eyüp Cemetery The Eyüp Cemetery (), aka Eyüp Sultan Cemetery, is a historic burial ground located in the Eyüp district, on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the General Directorate of Foundations. One of the oldest and largest Musl ...

, were taken to his home's yard he liked very much due to its panoramic view of

Bosporus The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...

. Tevfik Fikret designed the architectural project of the house by himself, and named his house "Aşiyan", which means "nest" in Persian language. The house is a three-story wooden building within a garden.

Museum

The ground floor consists of administrative offices. The first floor is reserved for

Abdülhak Hâmid Tarhan Abdülhak Hâmid Tarhan (born Abdülhak Hâmid; January 2, 1852 – April 12, 1937)Some sources state Feb 2,1852 was an early 20th-century Ottoman Empire, Ottoman playwright and poet. He was one of the leading lights of the Turkish Romantic ...

(1851-1937) and female poet

Nigar Hanım Nigar may refer to: * Nigar Awards, the oldest Pakistani film awards * ''Nigar'' (magazine), Pakistan-based entertainment magazine * Nigâr, a character in Karagöz and Hacivat plays Given name * Negar (name), a Persian feminine given name * Niga ...

(1856-1918), poets of the "New Literature Movement". In two separate rooms, paintings, photographs, books and personal belongings of both poets are on display. In the second floor, Tevfik Fikret's study and bedroom are situated. Here, his personal belongings, his writing desk, armchair, drawings and paintings made by him are exhibited. In the bedroom, a

death mask A death mask is a likeness (typically in wax or plaster cast) of a person's face after their death, usually made by taking a cast or impression from the corpse. Death masks may be mementos of the dead or be used for creation of portraits. The m ...

of him is also on display. A painting of then Ottoman Shahzada Abdülmecid (1868-1944), which he created in inspiration of Tevfik Fikret's poem "Sis" (), hangs on the wall at this floor. Aşiyan museum was restored completely, and reopened by Mayor

Kadir Topbaş Kadir Topbaş (8 January 1945 – 13 February 2021) was a Turkish architect, businessman and politician who served as Mayor of Istanbul from 2004 to 2017. Biography He was born on 8 January 1945, in Altıparmak village of Yusufeli district in A ...

in December 2012 after one-and-half-year works costing 1.128 million (around US$640,000). By the restoration, furniture remade after original photos and a

wax sculpture A wax sculpture is a depiction made using a waxy substance. Often these are effigies, usually of a notable individual, but there are also death masks and scenes with many figures, mostly in relief. The properties of beeswax make it an excel ...

of Tevfik Fikret were added to the museum.

Admission

The museum is closed on Mondays. Visiting hours are 9:00-16:00. Admission is free of charge.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asiyan Museum Museums in Istanbul Historic house museums in Turkey Museums established in 1945 1945 establishments in Turkey Poetry museums Beşiktaş Biographical museums in Turkey Bosphorus Literary museums in Turkey