The Museum of Innocence — Attraction in Beyoğlu

Great little museum with lots of love (literally) put into it. All the staff on the day of my visit (27 Dec) were super nice and the place wasn't too crowded.

As a foreigner, initially I wanted to remove some of the stars to this review due to foreigners being charged twice the rate of what locals pay (300 TL vs 150 TL, really upsetting in so many places in Istanbul) but I'll be nice this time.

Visited the museum without having read the book (yet), so the audioguide they have available was super useful. Even if you have read the book, the audioguide may come handy as there's little text next to the actual exhibits.

Although the museum is quite small, the full audioguide takes about 2hrs to listen, if you listen to all its tracks, so plan your time accordingly. First floor takes longer than 2nd and 3rd.

If you haven't read the book, the story is set in the 1970s-80s, so the artefacts are from that era or older. Each chapter of the book gets its own box of artefacts to accompany it.

Now, content-wise, the beginning of the audioguide and exhibition felt a little too sirupy sweet (in times of dating apps unfortunately we do get desensitized to things like romance in the act of sex, so the initial long nostalgic rambles about 'making love' felt a little tiring). And the main character's obsession with his love object at times felt cringey and bordering a pathology. Or like listening to a friend freshly post-breakup.

However, as the guide and the exhibition progressed, it gained much more depth and angles, and, also, left the obsession and told more and more interesting things about the city of Istanbul (the main reason of me visiting this museum anyway).

As you leave the museum, the street outside feels almost like a continuation of the exhibition with all the antique shops.

You can buy the actual book (in English, too) at the museum's shop downstairs.

A few of the last exhibition boxes on the 2nd floor are still work in progress, so worth visiting this museum again in the future to check for any updates.

Adding a couple of general pictures, but nothing too detailed as don't want to share too many...

This is a rather niche and off-the-beaten-path travel spot in Istanbul — a hidden gem especially beloved by literary enthusiasts. Visitors who come here are either hoping to encounter characters from a novel brought to life, or are paying homage to Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk.

Of course, there are also the so-called “pseudo-intellectuals” who haven’t read the book, have no clue what the story is about, but still come here for a trendy photo op.

The author is, admittedly, a savvy businessman. Every copy of the book includes a museum ticket — readers who bring their book can get it stamped and enjoy free admission, no need to purchase a ticket again!

Inside the museum, there are 83 display cases, each corresponding to one chapter in the book. Every case contains objects that the male protagonist, Kemal, painstakingly collected in memory of his beloved. Some say the most striking exhibit is the 4,213 cigarette butts near the entrance — all allegedly smoked by the female lead.

However, for those who dislike smoking, this might not feel romantic at all. After all, smoking is extremely harmful to health, especially secondhand smoke. Cigarettes should not be glorified or romanticized in any form. There are countless ways to express longing or affection — we urge future writers to avoid using smoking as a metaphor for romance. As far as modern civilization has come, Singapore still seems to be one of the few places with strict laws against smoking in public spaces.

Readers of the novel may find themselves spending quite a long time exploring the museum. For those just passing through, this site might not be worth a visit. Especially for people like Ha2’s uncultured, half-witted cousin who doesn’t read books and can’t even follow a palace drama — such folks are unlikely to appreciate either...

The Museum of Innocence gives us in depth account of intricacies involved in the universal game of life and happiness. The delicate subject gets an artistic and pleasing treatment in the love story of Kemal and Fusun. The irony of conservative and modern, the subject of rich and poor and finally the humble submission to the natural flow of life add bright colors to the fabric of the novel.

Kemal’s perpetual longing, his regular visits to Fusun’s house for a long nine years after her getting married to Feridun and his undeterred love for Fusun even after her accidental death weave a strong story line that keeps us engrossed.

But it is the final conversation between Fusun and Kemal before the accident that elevates the novel to a new height. The lamenting of Fusun for not letting her to fulfill her dreams, robbing her modesty and depriving her from living her life at her own confirm that either poor Feridun or wealthy Kemal miserably fails to understand Fusun. It shockingly reminds us that in spite of all the rosy pictures, our society has not come over to the male chauvinism.

It’s true that the story revolves around Kemal and Fusun but for me it is Sibel, the fiancee who steals the show. Her modesty, beauty, intelligence, strength and decisiveness keep her at such a high pedestal that none of the characters in the novel can even dream of. Her genuine efforts to help Kemal in spite of her knowledge to the relationship between Kemal and Fusun add golden feathers to her character. Her sharp observation of the fake stitching of label to leather bag is not limited to Jenney Colon only but applicable to Kemal also but she loses the sanctity of her body and soul due to her utmost belief...