The Byzantine Church of St. Irene, which stands in the outer courtyard of Topkapi Palace, was used as an armory by the Janisseries right after the conquest. The first military museum was located in this building in the 19th century. When World War II began, the objects were carried to Nigde in Central Anatolia for security reasons, land in 1955, were placed in the gymnasium of the War Academy.
After the academy building was restored and a new museum constructed, in 1993 the museum took its present shape. Approximately 10,000 weapons and armors belonging to Turks and other nations are displayed in the museum. There are 17 different halls organized under the following categories: Weapons, Tents, Clothing, World War I, Republican Era, Canakkale Battles, War of Independence, Ataturk, and Martyrs. The Mehter band holds concerts there between 15.00 and 16.00 on the days when the museum is open to visitors.

The Naval Museum and Library was founded by Admiral Hüseyin Hüsnü Pasha in 1897 and opened in its first location in the Taskizak dockyards. When World War II began, the contents of the museum were transported to Konya in Central Anatolia in 1939 for security reasons, then brought back to Istanbul at the end of the war. In 1960 the museum was re-opened in its present location, the coachmen's quarters of Dolmabahçe Palace. This museum contains over 4,000 items, including boats from the Ottoman period, plates written by famous scribes on naval matters, flags, maps including the Piri Reis maps, and other objects from Turkish naval history.

On order of Atatürk, this museum was opened in 1937 in the crown prince suites of Dolmabahçe Palace. It was the first art museum in Turkey and is still the only one in Istanbul. The permanent collection presents a panoramic view of the Turkish plastic arts and also includes works of world famous artists, an impressionist collection, sculptures and works of military painters.

This museum is the former residence of famous Turkish poet Tevfik Fikret (1867-1915) who constructed the building himself. In addition to an exhibit of the personal belongings of Tevfik, there is a room devoted to the poet Nigar Hanim and some of the belongings of Abdülhak Hamit.

Located near the Archaeological Museum, this museum includes curious objects from the Pre-Islamic Arab world as well as the Assyrian, Babylonian and Egyptian civilizations.

19th century documents and objects belonging to the Tanzimat period are displayed in this museum. It was first opened in the Ihlamur Mansion in 1952 and moved to its present location in 1983.