Sadberk Hanım Museum

Located in the Azaryan Mansion in the Büyükdere district of Sarıyer, Istanbul, Sadberk Hanım Museum was built in memory of Vehbi Koç's wife Sadberk Koç and is considered one of the most romantic and interesting museums in the region.

The Sadberk Hanım Museum, which holds the title of Turkey's first private museum, was opened on October 14, 1980 to display the personal collection of Sadberk Hanım, the wife of Vehbi Koç, and to immortalize her memory. Located in the Azaryan Mansion, which was built towards the end of the 19th century, the museum was purchased by the Koç Family in 1950 and was used as a summer residence until it was decided to turn it into a museum in 1978.

Upon this decision taken by the Koç Family, the restoration project prepared by Sedat Hakkı Eldem with great care between 1978 and 1980 was realized in the mansion and then started to operate as a museum.

There are special works such as traditional clothes, embroidered and monogrammed silver and porcelains in the private collection of Sadberk Hanım in the museum. After the death of Hüseyin Kocabaş, one of the important collectors in Turkey, in the years following its opening, the museum included his own collection in 1983. Especially in order to exhibit the archaeological artifacts in Kocabaş's collection, the mansion next to the existing building, which is thought to have been built in the early 20th century, was purchased and started to be exhibited here after its front facade was restored in accordance with its original form.

The aforementioned additional building was opened on October 24, 1988 with the name of “Sevgi Gönül Building”; It received the 1988 "Europa Nostra Award" because the exhibition layout is accepted as a one-to-one example of a contemporary museum practice.

While Sadberk Hanım Museum hosted 3 thousand works in the first years of its opening; Today, it contains an average of 20 thousand works and presents it to the attention of its visitors.