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.
Hacıbektaş Museum
A museum in the dervish lodge complex of Hacı Bektaş Veli, the thirteenth-century Anatolian mystic, in the town of Hacıbektaş in Nevşehir province.
About the museum
Hacı Bektaş Veli was a mystic and thinker with an egalitarian, humane outlook who is believed to have lived in the thirteenth century. Born in Nishapur, he studied philosophy and the social and natural sciences in Khorasan, in the circle of Hoca Ahmed Yesevi, then came to Anatolia and founded a lodge in what is now the town of Hacıbektaş to spread his teaching. The complex around it has been a museum since 1964.
The Haji Bektash Veli Complex is arranged around three courtyards. Visitors pass through the monumental gate, rebuilt faithfully in 1963, and see the Üçler Fountain, built by Fatma Fikriye Hanım, wife of Grand Vizier Halil Pasha. Other sites include the Soup Kitchen, the Kızılca Halvet cell of seclusion, the Lion Fountain and the Pir House, which holds the tomb of Hacı Bektaş Veli.
The museum displays everyday objects of the Bektashi lodge, manuscripts and examples of calligraphy. Farther in are the Balım Sultan Tomb, the Atatürk Corner, a centuries-old mulberry tree and a burial ground.
Tips
- The museum is open every day.
- Cappadocia's other major sites, including Göreme, can be combined with a visit to Hacıbektaş.
Questions
When is Hacıbektaş Museum open?
According to the Ministry’s listing it opens at 08:00 and closes at 22:00 (last entry 21:15). Open every day.
Can I buy tickets for Hacıbektaş 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 Hacıbektaş Museum, buy at the ticket office or on the Ministry’s official e-ticket system.
Where is Hacıbektaş Museum?
Hacıbektaş Museum is in Nevşehir, Türkiye — Savat Mah. Kayseri Cad. No:5.
Nearby
Nevşehir
Çavuşin Church
A rock-cut Byzantine church of 964–965 near Göreme, with a two-floor plan, monks' rooms below and frescoes of Emperor Nikephoros Phokas and his family.
Nevşehir
Zelve-Paşabağlar Archaeological Site
Three valleys of fairy chimneys in Cappadocia, once a Christian monastic settlement, with rock-cut churches, Saint Simeon's chapel and dovecotes.
Nevşehir
El Nazar Church
A tenth-century rock-cut church in the El Nazar valley near Göreme, painted in an archaic style with scenes from the life of Christ.
Nevşehir
Dark Church (Göreme)
The most prized church of the Göreme Open Air Museum, a cross-plan rock church whose frescoes stayed vivid because so little light reaches them.
Nevşehir
Göreme Archaeological Site (Göreme Open Air Museum)
Cappadocia's best-known rock-cut monastic complex, with frescoed churches, chapels and refectories from the fourth to thirteenth centuries.
Nevşehir
Kaymaklı Underground City
A labyrinth of tuff-carved rooms and tunnels eight levels deep at Kaymaklı, built as a refuge and still walkable on four lit levels.
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.