Istanbul's Topkapı Palace has quietly become a much bigger attraction. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has inaugurated five new museums inside the restored Darphane-i Amire complex — the former Ottoman imperial mint — putting 10,500 previously hidden artifacts on public display for the first time.

The project reworked seven historic buildings into 46 exhibition halls across 17,000 square meters. The headline collection is Islamic calligraphy: more than 2,000 works that had sat in storage for years are now shown across 12 dedicated halls. There's also the first arms museum established during the Ottoman period, and Erdoğan framed the whole site as a museum district with international appeal.

The numbers matter for visitors. Topkapı's displayed inventory previously stood at around 7,500 works; the new museums more than double that. For anyone who has already walked the palace's courtyards and treasury, there is now a substantial second visit to plan. The restoration took seven years, during which critics speculated the complex might become a presidential residence — claims the president used the opening to firmly rebut.

Erdoğan also used the ceremony to look ahead. Restoration work continues at Edirne Palace, the imperial complex that Ottoman sultans used alongside Topkapı for roughly 300 years. That project is expected to finish next year, which would give travellers another major Ottoman site to add to a northwest Türkiye itinerary — Edirne sits near the Bulgarian and Greek borders, a couple of hours from Istanbul by train or bus.

The political speeches aside, the practical takeaway is simple: Istanbul's premier Ottoman landmark now offers far more than it did a year ago, and the restored Darphane-i Amire buildings themselves — with their mint history — are worth seeing in their own right.

Why it matters: if you've been putting off a Topkapı visit because of crowds or a sense you'd seen it all, the new halls change the calculus. The calligraphy collection alone is a rare chance to see works that have never been exhibited. Expect ticketing details and separate admission arrangements to be confirmed as the museums settle into operation — and check whether the new complex is included in the standard palace ticket or priced separately before you go.

Story via Daily Sabah Travel.