Orhan Pamuk’s Museum of Innocence
The idea for the Orhan Pamuk Museum of Innocence in Istanbul was based on his novel of the same name, and was conceived at the same time as the idea for the book. They simultaneously came into thought in the 1990s, and the novel was published in 2008 while the museum opened later, in 2012.
For those of you unfamiliar with The Museum of Innocence, all I will say is read it, as I don’t want to tell you more for fear of spoiling the experience. What I will provide are my impressions of the exhibition spread over four floors of this five storey house, once home to the actual Keskin family who feature in the book.
The entry way is covered by the Spiral of Time, a floor design representing Pamuk’s view of memory. The golden dots that form the spiral are moments in time, which seen as a whole provide a pleasing and calming image. Unlike Aristotle who thought of time as a line joining moments which became the present, Pamuk sees the story as a line joining the objects described in the novel. When time is linear, the overall memory can be one of disappointment, but when it is understood as a series of moments, some joyous, some less so, the final memory is one that can be treasured.
I walk up the creaking wooden stairs, gliding my hand up the darkly burnished rail, and stop when I hear a bird tweeting. Slightly above me I see a tiny window, half open and complete with a curtain blowing in the breeze. There is a miniature canary in its cage, whittering happily away, and from outside I can hear simit sellers calling out their wares and the more distant the honking of car and ferry horns. I am immediately transported back outside to the streets of Istanbul, nostalgic for a lost past I am too young to have known.
This level, and the ones above, are crammed with artefacts that are proof of Kemal’s love for Füsun, souvenirs of his lost love. Everywhere I look there are references to sights, sounds and smells that relate to the story, but more significantly, quintessential symbols of Istanbul and Turkish life more generally.
Images from the Museum of Innocence
Here, in no particular order, is what I remember most from the museum.
“Of all the traditions that say Turkey to me, the use of lemon cologne is the earliest and strongest memory I will always have”.
The agony of love is this...
Movie memorabilia – Kurban
Raki and Attitudes to women
The cigarette wall contains 4213 cigarette butts collected by Kemal. Each butt tells a story of his longing for Füsun.
I was very moved by my visit to the Orhan Pamuk Museum of Innocence, and seeing a visual interpretation of Orhan Pamuk’s writings. I’ve read all his book, and while I enjoyed The Museum of Innocence, the book which speaks to me most is Istanbul: Memories and the City. It reads like a sorrowful missive to a long lost love, full of melancholy and yearning for the one who remains imprinted on his soul. Füsun is Kemal’s Istanbul.
I have been greatly inspired by Orhan Pamuk. Here’s my account of the way Istanbul feels to me.
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Here are my helpful tips for planning your trip to Turkey
Before you even buy your plane ticket, check whether you need an EVISA. Here’s my post on everything to know before you take off, including how to buy one from the government website so you don’t pay extra.
Even if I never claim on it, I always take out TRAVEL INSURANCE. I recommend Visitors Coverage.
These days, wherever I travel I like to stay connected with a local phone number and eSIM are the way to go. I recommend Truely, an eSIM provider working with local telcos. You can buy it before or after you arrive in Turkey, to use for 1 to as many days as you need. Truly eSIM are straightforward to install and activate but if you have any problems their responsive Whatsapp customer service is available 24/7.
Use my code: insideoutinistanbul and get 5% off when you order through the Truely website.
ACCOMMODATION: When I want to find a place to stay I use Booking.com.
For FLIGHTS I like to use Kiwi.com. Once you land the next decision you’ll have to make is how to get to your hotel. I’m a big advocate of public transport, but know it’s not suitable for everyone all the time. When I need to be picked up from or get to Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gokcen Airport, I use one of these GetYourGuide AIRPORT TRANSFERS.
If you’re travelling alone, check out this post on useful solo travel tips Turkey for women (and men).
Now that’s all the practical stuff out of the way, here’s the fun stuff.
CITY TOURS & DAY TRIPS: Let me guide you around Kadikoy with my audio walking tour Stepping back through Chalcedon or venture further afield with Istanbul 50 Unsung Places, my bespoke guidebook. I know you’ll love visiting the lesser-known sites I’ve included. It’s based on using public transport as much as possible so you won’t be adding too much to your carbon footprint. Then read about what you’ve seen and experienced in my three essay collections and memoir about moving to Istanbul permanently.
Browse the GetYourGuide website or Viator to find even more ways to experience Istanbul and Turkey with food tours, visits to the old city, evening Bosphorus cruises and more!
https://getyourguide.tp.st/9BhrGpvd
However you travel, stay safe and have fun! Iyi yolculuklar.
It was a chilly and an extremely wet October day; we had walked around Gezi Park, but our real destination was Orhan Pamuk’s Museum of Innocence. The slippery cobbled paths going down to the museum soon did my bad back in, so by the time we reached the Museum of Innocence and paid to enter through a little window and told to leave our brollies outside, quite frankly all I needed was a large brandy with a double Nurofen chaser.
My initial impression was one of interested delight, I hadn’t read the book, but my wife had, and she explained the significance of the exhibits as we went. I totally loved the ‘memory box,’ ‘collection of objects,’ style of presentation. However, by the time we’d ascended to the bedroom at the top, I felt the museum was contrived and monotonous. And unfortunately, that’s my lasting impression.
I feel very sad that Orhan Pamuk is not a cherished Turkish author within Turkey, because he should be!