Tile Museum

The museum occupies part of a complex founded in 1411 by Yakup II Çelebi, the last ruler of the Germiyan principality. The complex once included a soup kitchen (imaret), madrasa, small mosque, library and bath. Its imaret and tomb sections were restored and opened as a tile museum in 1999.

Inside, a domed central space with a fountain opens onto three domed iwans and two rooms. Yakup II's tiled sarcophagus lies in the tomb section. The foundation inscription of the vanished madrasa is beside the entrance door, and locals nickname the building Gökşadırvan, after its marble fountain. Another large stone inscription in Ottoman Turkish, near the entrance, is said to be one of the world's biggest of its kind.

The display cases follow a chronological path. Architectural tiles, inscription tiles, vases, plates, panels and even household items made from tile, all produced in Kütahya and İznik from the 14th century onwards, show how the craft evolved and why Kütahya became known for it.