Topkapı Palace
The sultans’ palace on Sarayburnu: courtyards, the Imperial Council, the treasury and the terraces over the water. Dated entry, sold online on its own site.
Kuva-yi Milliye Museum
A mansion where Balıkesir chose armed resistance in May 1919, now a museum of the War of Independence on the ground floor and of local archaeology upstairs.
About the museum
This museum occupies a mansion built in 1840 for Giridizade Mehmet Pasha, a senior Ottoman finance official of the Karesi district. Its place in national memory dates from May 1919, when Izmir had just been occupied and the people of Balıkesir met here and decided to resist by arms. In the years that followed the building served as the headquarters of the 2nd Army Corps, and from 1947 to 1988 it housed municipal offices before restoration and its opening as a museum in 1996.
On the ground floor, the display honours the local leaders who founded the Kuva-yi Milliye, the irregular national forces, and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. You will see their decisions and those of the congress, photographs, personal belongings and wax figures of Atatürk and Latife Hanım.
The upper floor turns to the deep past. Archaeological and ethnographic finds from Balıkesir province are arranged chronologically in rooms named after ancient cities in the province: Kyzikos, Adramytteion, Daskyleion and Antandros. The two floors together tell both a recent and an ancient story of the region.
Tips
- The Bandırma Museum also shows finds from Kyzikos and Daskyleion if you plan a wider tour of the province.
- Check the official page for current opening information before you go.
Questions
When is Kuva-yi Milliye Museum open?
According to the Ministry’s listing it opens at 08:30 and closes at 17:30 (last entry 17:00). Open every day.
Can I buy tickets for Kuva-yi Milliye Museum on this site?
No. This site sells no tickets. Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sophia and Dolmabahçe Palace are sold on our sister sites; for Kuva-yi Milliye Museum, buy at the ticket office or on the Ministry’s official e-ticket system.
Where is Kuva-yi Milliye Museum?
Kuva-yi Milliye Museum is in Balıkesir, Türkiye — Anafartalar Caddesi, No:58.
Istanbul tickets online
Four Istanbul landmarks, each sold on its own site by the agency behind this guide — dated entry and free cancellation up to 24 hours.
Basilica Cistern
Justinian’s great underground reservoir: 336 columns in still water and the two Medusa heads. Fast-track entry with a digital audio guide.
Hagia Sophia
Justinian’s cathedral, the sultans’ mosque and a working mosque again today. The ticket admits you to the upper visitor gallery.
Dolmabahçe Palace
A nineteenth-century palace on the water’s edge: the Selamlık, the Ceremonial Hall under its chandelier, the crystal staircase and the Harem.