The Panorama 1453 History Museum consists of two main sections. The first section is the route that starts from the entrance and leads to the panoramic painting. This route includes the permanent exhibition of Panorama 1453.

The exhibition, prepared by Associate Professor Dr. Erhan Afyoncu and Assistant Professor Dr. Coşkun Yılmaz, with the consultancy of Architect M. Hilmi Şenalp and the design by Özkul Eren, covers the history of Istanbul from its foundation, the siege and conquest of Istanbul, the life of Fatih Sultan Mehmed, law, art, civilization, culture, and the construction activities of Istanbul. The exhibition showcases original miniatures, engravings, and paintings depicting wars, presenting a modern interpretation of the conquest from a contemporary perspective. At the end of the exhibition, where modern miniatures depict the conquest, the entrance to the platform with the panoramic painting begins. At the end of a short and dark corridor, visitors suddenly feel themselves at dawn on May 29, 1453, witnessing the moment of entering the city.

The painting, drawn by a group of artists consisting of Haşim Vatandaş, Ramazan Erkut, Ahmet Kaya, Oksana Legka, Yaşar Zeynalov, Hasan H. Dinçer, Atilla Tunca, and Murat Efe, is created on a 38-meter diameter half-sphere. The painting covers the inner surface of the half-sphere, measuring 2350 square meters, and reaches a size of 650 square meters between the painting and the visitor platform, encompassing the visitor from all directions.

What sets the Panorama 1453 History Museum apart from other panoramic museums in the world is this painting. Although a framed painting with borders can create a sense of depth and three-dimensionality, its distance can be perceived because its frame or border can be seen. In the work at Panorama 1453 History Museum, there is no specific point where the painting ends, so the viewer cannot grasp the true dimensions of the artwork based on optical habits. When visitors step onto the platform, they experience a shock lasting about 10 seconds. This is due to the astonishment of not being able to find any reference points such as the beginning and end that would enable them to grasp the reality and dimensions of the painting. Despite entering a closed space, visitors feel as if they have stepped back into a three-dimensional outdoor space. Being a complete panorama sets Panorama 1453 apart from other examples worldwide, allowing visitors to rediscover and comprehend the spirit and day of Sultan Mehmed II with the sounds of his thousands of soldiers and the Ottoman military bands (Mehter).

The painting contains 10,000 figures. Regardless of how much depth and three-dimensional sensation a framed painting with borders evokes, if you can see its frame or border, you can understand how far it hangs from you. In the work at the “Istanbul 1453 Panoramic Museum,” there is no specific point where the painting ends, so the viewer cannot grasp the true dimensions of the artwork based on optical habits. When viewers step onto the platform, they experience a shock lasting about 10 seconds. This astonishment arises from the confusion of not being able to find reference points such as the beginning and end that would allow them to grasp the reality and dimensions of the painting.

Despite entering a closed space, visitors feel as if they have stepped back into a three-dimensional outdoor space.

Physical Location

The area where the Panorama 1453 History Museum is constructed is also a meaningful choice. The museum is located in Topkapi, where the Trakya Bus Terminal used to be in the past, and now it stands within the Topkapi Cultural Park, at a point that witnesses the first entry points of the soldiers into the city. When viewed from the museum’s location, the Edirnekapi walls can be seen on the left side, the Topkapi walls (which made Istanbul Constantinople, Islambol, and Istanbul) and the gate where the first Ottoman army entered the city can be seen in front, and the Silivrikapi walls can be seen on the right side. Visitors of all ages, from young to old, can experience the conquest event most effectively here. They can examine these walls from a distance of just a few steps, breathe the air in the areas where the Ottoman army camped, and also have the opportunity to relax and have fun within the Topkapi Cultural Park where the museum is located.