New Museum of Islamic Civilizations set to open Friday in Turkey’s largest mosque

A brand new Museum of Islamic Civilizations is set to be inaugurated on Friday in Turkey’s largest mosque by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the nation’s president.

The museum, located in Istanbul’s Grand Camlica Mosque Complex and constructed in a closed area of 10,000 square meters (107,639 square feet), was prepared with works selected from the collections of the Topkapi Palace and Palace Collections Museum, Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, Istanbul Archeology Museums, Istanbul Tombs Museum, and Foundations Museum.

The museum features unique artifacts that trace 1,200 years of Islamic history, many of which have never been exhibited before

With nearly 800 pieces reflecting the development of Islamic art from the seventh to the 19th centuries, the museum includes 15 thematic sections such as woven Turkish art, works attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, and architectural and decorative elements in Islamic art.

Visitors to the museum will have the opportunity to see many more works such as representative footprints of the Prophet Muhammad, the curtain of Mecca’s holy Kaaba, sultan's caftans, the childhood notebook of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, and Ottoman-era coins.

Special UV-blocking glass with low reflection and high transparency are used to house some of the museum’s most fragile displays. The showcases are designed to keep out foreign air and dust, and air conditioning is used to maintain a suitable temperature.

The lighting fixtures were designed to focus at the desired distance and highlight separate works in their display cases. Special sensors generate an alarm at any sign of impact, unauthorized opening, or breakage. The museum is also protected by 130 security cameras and two facial recognition cameras.