Rahmi M. Koç Museum, Istanbul's time machine, has brought its rich collection back into a book. The book titled “Rahmi M. Koç Museums – Istanbul”, which offers a comprehensive look at the fascinating atmosphere of the museum and the diversity of thousands of objects in its collection, is published by Yapı Kredi Culture and Art Publishing. The book, which also includes an interview with Rahmi M. Koç, the founder of the museum, consists of three parts. Enriched with information and visuals on the world's industrial heritage, the book is also a historical resource with articles written by valuable names.
Rahmi M. Koç Museum, Turkey's first and only industry museum reflecting the developments in the history of transportation, industry and communication, has expanded its corpus with a new book. The third book titled “Rahmi M. Koç Museums – Istanbul” contains information about the diversity and quality of the main collection of the Istanbul Rahmi M. Koç Museum, as well as the objects added to the collection since the second book.
The photographs reflecting the fascinating atmosphere of the museum are signed by Ali Konyalı and Tarkan Kutlu. Published by Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts Publishing, the book was designed by Nahide Zarifoğlu and edited by Begüm Kovulmaz.
Interview with Rahmi M. Koç
The first article that welcomes the reader after the Foreword contains an interview with Rahmi M. Koç, the founder of the museum. Koç shares his interest in collecting that started in childhood, the changing and developing face of the Golden Horn, how he carried the Rahmi M. Koç Museums to today, and his views on museology in Turkey. Koç says the following about the museum, which appeals to visitors of all ages: “Have you ever seen children crying for not leaving the museum? It happens often with us. If we have made the child love this place, which is essentially an industrial museum, I think we have accomplished a very good job. My lifelong efforts, which started with my interest in collecting, have now become one of the important museums of the city. I am really happy to see that.”
Both a visual and historical resource
Spreading over an area of 27 thousand square meters, Rahmi M. Koç Museum consists of three main sections: Lengerhane Mustafa V. Koç Building, Hasköy Shipyard and Open Air Exhibition Area. The book begins with the Lengerhane Mustafa V. Koç Building, which is a second-class historical monument. After a brief history of the building, detailed information is presented about many objects exhibited in this section, from steam engines to rail transportation models, from scientific instruments to mechanical toys. Also, Prof. Dr. “The Golden Horn in the Byzantine Period” by Cyril Mango, “My Leica” by Ara Güler, Prof. Dr. Nurhan Atasoy's "Golden Horn Gardens in Miniatures" and Dr. J. Patrick Greene's articles titled “Museums as Cultural Heritage Sites” engage the reader in a reading experience that is both informative and enjoyable.
In the second part, Hasköy Shipyard, where there is a wide range of exhibits from the Atatürk Section to classic cars, maritime objects, wagons, miniature objects, steam and diesel engines. Again in this section, besides the information about the history of the shipyard and the exhibited objects, Prof. Dr. Norman Stone's “Wheel of Progress?”, Patricia E. Mooradian's “Towards a Culture of Technological Innovation” and Prof. It is possible to read the articles titled “The Story of the Transition from Anatolian Cars to the Turkish Automotive Industry at the Rahmi M. Koç Museum” by Önder Küçükerman.
In the third and final section, large objects such as the Fenerbahçe Ferry, Turgut Alp Vinci, B-24 Liberator and rail transport wagons exhibited in the Open Air are featured. Dr. Murat Koraltürk's "Golden Horn Ferries Company", Yalvaç Ural's article on the toy collection currently exhibited in Fenerbahçe Ferry and William Clay Ford's article titled “A Look into the Past” are presented to the reader in this section.
Sofuoğlu: In the first volume of the series, we prepared a selection from our Istanbul Museum.
Rahmi M. Koç Museum General Manager Mine Sofuoğlu said that the Rahmi M. Koç Museums, which are approaching its 30th anniversary, are pleased with the interest received by culture and art enthusiasts of all ages. Sofuoğlu said, “The Rahmi M. Koç Museum, which first opened its doors to its visitors in Istanbul in 1994, has become an important cultural institution that welcomes more than 1 million visitors every year by incorporating a museum and a library in three different cities. While we were preparing our third book, which aims to introduce our museums and collection, we realized that we could not fit into a single volume due to our ever-expanding collection and expanding museums. Thus, in this book, which will constitute the first volume of our series, we have prepared only a selection from our Istanbul museum. We are always waiting for those who want to see more than what is presented in our book, where we can only include the main examples from our collection, or who want to experience our museum again.”
About
Book name: Rahmi M. Koç Museums – Istanbul
Number of pages: 639
Book design: Yapı Kredi Culture and Art Publications
Release date: November 2022, Istanbul
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