Perspectives on museology in the Ottoman Period and collection management

Fatih Sultan Mehmet conquered Istanbul and started to protect Byzantine artefacts. The artefacts, which started to be preserved in a concrete form in Hagia Irene, constituted the first step of museological activities. Later, the perspective of the sultans and intellectuals spread to the public. Today, the Republic of Turkey, which has the world's and Europe's leading museums, has achieved its present reputation as a result of the developments in the Ottoman period. In this research, the perspectives of museology and collection management in the Ottoman period are analyzed through the museums carried from the Ottoman period to the present day. In particular, the focus is on the developments of the 19th century, when the transformation from a field of interest to a cultural symbol gained a legal framework. In this context, researches and publications on the perspective of art, museology and collecting practices have been examined, the Military Museum, the Naval Museum, the Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum, the Topkapı Palace Museum, the Museum of Ancient Orient Works (Istanbul Archaeological Museums), and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art have been visited, and the perspectives of the Ottoman sultans on the works of art of the Ottoman sultans have been subjected to a general evaluation by including the works exhibited abroad. In the study, it is aimed to transfer the information obtained from the research on the perspectives of museology and collecting management in the Ottoman Period to the reader from a new perspective. In addition, it is aimed to contribute to the literature with the synthesis put forward. As a result of the research, it is thought that the French Revolution and the industrial revolution were effective in the Westernization movements in the Ottoman Empire, especially in the understanding of art, and initiated the process of exhibition rather than concealment. It is seen that developments such as ambassador visits, foreign travels of high-ranking statesmen and participation in universal exhibitions during the period of decline accelerated the modernization process. To present a more original and comprehensive research, it is examined differently from the processes described in the previous chapters and sample collections and artefacts are presented.