Askeri Muze ve Kultur Sitesi KomutanlIgI

A very in depth museum of Turkish military history. This facility contains everything from swords and spears to canon and machine guns. A primer on Turkish history would be helpful to put all of the conflicts in context.

This is my second visit, which was better because there was a live performance of the Mehter military band. The museum itself is rather large with lots of exhibits from the early Ottoman period up to Korean war. The best part of our visit was the Mehter playing in a theater at the far end of the museum. The show started with a short video, and then the whole wall with the screen was opened with the Mehter band marching in from outside. Definitely worth a visit for a very small entrance fee of TRY25.

Room after room full of swords and guns wears after a while. Lack of English translations spoils many displays. The rooms on Gallipoli and the 1453 conquest of Constantinople were a bit disappointing, they could have told the stories so much better. There is a nationalistic feel about many displays - obviously targeted at the domestic audience. The 3pm concert was interesting and the museum seemed to close shortly after that. Take photos of the 2 floor plans as you will get lost! Staff don't speak much English. Don't miss the 15c bronze cannon (with granite cannonball!) outside.

Dark, eerily empty of visitors. I'd been to the museum before, back in the 90s. It had been fascinating: luxurious Ottoman commanders tents; artifacts of war dating from the entire history of humanity in Anatolya, and the Janissary band playing in the garden courtyard. Now, the rooms with commanders tents are "closed...have always been closed", the Janissaries much larger band plays in a largely empty auditorium and the exhibits are pared way back with the only deep dives being about Ataturk.

Charge crazy 200 lira (10 eur) for the military museum which are always empty and in most countries are either free of charge or very cheap. But, that's not all! I paid 400 lira for 2 tickets and already inside found that most interesting 50% of exhibition about the WWI and the War for independence is closed. Not recommend, modern paintings and European swords and armor you can see in other museums