The list of attractions in Istanbul has been expanded with an interesting and unusual open-air park-museum Miniaturik. Recently, the grand opening ceremony was held, which was attended by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, members of the Cabinet of Ministers, deputies of the Mejlis, Istanbul Mayor Ali Mufit Gyurtuna, Governor Muammer Guler, representatives of the creative intelligentsia and the public in Turkey.

The museum is located on the shore of the Golden Horn Bay in the Syutluj district on an area of 60 thousand square meters and is an exhibition of models of 105 historical monuments, buildings and structures built on the territory of the former Ottoman Empire, from the era of antiquity to the period of republican Turkey. Miniature copies of historical buildings are made on a scale of 1: 25.

The museum's exposition can be divided into three parts: the first section presents historical and architectural monuments located in Anatolia (Asia Minor Peninsula), the second section - sights of Istanbul, and the third - architectural structures on the former territory of the Ottoman Empire, now located outside of Turkey.

The idea of creating a new park-museum belongs to the General director of the joint-stock company "Culture" under the Municipality of Istanbul Cengiz Ozdemir, who has worked in the Netherlands for more than 15 years. There, he was impressed by the open-air museum "Merodam", which collected models of historical buildings in Holland, made in miniature. Even then, young Cengiz had a dream to build a miniature park-museum in Istanbul, telling about the history and culture of his own country. However, the opportunity to realize his youthful dream came to him only in 1996, when he came to work in the Istanbul Municipality.

The idea of building an open-air park-museum appealed to the municipality's management, and a plot of land was allocated for its construction. Two prominent Turkish scientists, Ilber Ortayli and Ahmet Halyuk Dursun, were invited to select the most interesting historical and cultural monuments and buildings. After a thorough study of several thousand monuments of architecture and history, they selected 105 of the most interesting and valuable. The largest exhibit of the Miniaturik Park-Museum is a copy of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. The model of the temple was made in Germany and delivered to Istanbul in September 2002.

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In addition to this temple, visitors to the miniature city will be able to see such historical monuments as the Rumelihisar fortress, the Galata and Maiden Towers, and the remains of sculptures found in the Nemrutdag Mountain area (Eastern Turkey). Models of historical monuments included in all textbooks on the history of ancient civilizations, but not preserved to this day, are of great interest. Among them are the world-famous Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, the tomb of King Mausolus (mausoleum )in Halicarnassus and others.

The museum displays historical buildings dating back to the period of modern Turkish history and associated with the name of the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. In particular, visitors will see a model of the house in Thessaloniki (Greece), where Ataturk was born.

One of the most important and integral elements of the open-air park-museum, which connects the entire exhibition into a single harmonious architectural ensemble, is the model of the bridge over the Bosphorus with a length of 42 meters. Under the bridge there is a shallow pool filled with water and its outlines resemble the shores of the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn Bay and the Sea of Marmara. Passing through the bridge, visitors can admire the panorama of "Miniature Turkey" and beautifully executed models of ships from the Ottoman Empire floating in the pool.

The museum's exposition is equipped with a modern electronic information system in six languages. When buying an entrance ticket, which is a plastic electronic card, the visitor chooses one of six languages (Turkish, English, French, German, Arabic or Russian), in which they prefer to listen to the story about the museum's exhibits. Each model is equipped with a miniature electronic device, which is easier to use than a regular ATM or turnstile in the subway. By inserting a ticket card into the entrance hole, the visitor can listen to the guide's story in their native language, recorded on a tape recorder.

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Even before the official opening of the open-air park museum, Miniaturik was accepted into the International Association of Miniature Cities, which currently has 50 members. Joining this prestigious international Association is very difficult, as its experts place extremely high demands on the quality of exhibits and compliance with established standards. However, the creators of a new miniature city on the shore of the Golden Horn Bay successfully passed a difficult test.

According to information received from representatives of the Istanbul Municipality, the construction of the park-museum cost the city's budget $ 10 million. On the territory of the museum complex there is also a small cinema for showing popular science films on the history and culture of the country, an exhibition hall, a library, an archive, a bookstore and a shopping center where visitors and foreign tourists can buy souvenirs in memory of Turkey. According to the museum's management, at least one and a half million Turkish and foreign tourists will visit Miniaturik every year.

Very soon, "little Turkey on the banks of the Bosphorus" will become another attraction of the diverse Istanbul.

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