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.
Galata Mevlevi Lodge Museum
A 1491 Ottoman Mevlevi lodge at the top of İstiklal Street in Istanbul, now a museum with a sema hall, once home to poet Sheikh Galib.
About the museum
The Galata Mevlevi Lodge stands at the end of İstiklal Street in Beyoğlu, behind a historic gateway on Galip Dede Street. Founded in 1491, it was known in the Ottoman period as the Galata or Kulekapısı Mevlevi Lodge and as the Galip Dede Tekke. With the Galata Palace School, it is among the most important Ottoman works in Beyoğlu.
The buildings were repaired after the 1509 earthquake and again after the 1765 fire in Tophane. Its most famous head, the poet Sheikh Galib, took charge in 1791 with the support of his friend Sultan Selim III, and the lodge took its final form in building works of 1851-1859 under Sultan Abdulmejid.
When the lodges were closed in 1925, the site served for a time as a primary school. After a restoration in 1967-1975 it opened as the Divan Literature Museum, and in 2011 it was reorganised as the Galata Mevlevi Lodge Museum. The centrepiece is the sema hall, where the whirling ceremony of the Mevlevi order was performed.
Tips
- The museum is closed on Mondays.
- The Galata Tower, Istanbul's other hilltop landmark, is only a short walk away.
Questions
When is Galata Mevlevi Lodge Museum open?
According to the Ministry’s listing it opens at 09:00 and closes at 19:00 (last entry 18:00). Closed: Monday.
Can I buy tickets for Galata Mevlevi Lodge 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 Galata Mevlevi Lodge Museum, buy at the ticket office or on the Ministry’s official e-ticket system.
Where is Galata Mevlevi Lodge Museum?
Galata Mevlevi Lodge Museum is in Istanbul, Türkiye — Galip Dede Cad. No:15,Tünel,34220.
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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.
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Hagia Sophia
Justinian’s cathedral, the sultans’ mosque and a working mosque again today. The ticket admits you to the upper visitor gallery.
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