Turkish Arts and Culture

Galleries and Museums

The British Museum

The department of the Near East at the British Museum covers the ancient civilisations from the Neolithic period until the arrival of Islam in 7th century AD, holds a large selection of archaeological material and ancient art, including a number of items from Anatolia.

Tate Modern

This gorgeous Tate Modern gallery has permanent displays of contemporary Turkish art in its collection, including significant works by Tracey Emin, whose father was Turkish-Cypriot. Emin represented Britain at the Venice Biennale 2007, only the second woman to do so.

Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)

The V&A houses an excellent collection of Turkish carpets, 16th century Turkish pottery and tiles from Iznik, and 18th century Turkish embroidery. At the impressive Jameel Gallery, there are over 400 items of Islamic art, including ceramics, textiles, carpets, metalwork, glass, and woodwork, many of which date back to the era of the Islamic caliphate in the 8th century. The gallery also shows videos of Islamic architecture.