Istanbul's 1,600-year story is on show at London's V&A, with 200+ works

Imagine a city's memory stored in one tiny mosaic tile or in the fold of a silk kaftan. That is the idea behind a new exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum (the V&A, London's museum of art and design). It follows Istanbul across about 1,600 years.

What happened?

The exhibition, "From Constantinople to Istanbul: A City, Two Empires", has opened at the V&A with the support of Koç Holding, one of Turkey's biggest business groups. The V&A first announced the project in January 2026.

It brings together more than 200 works from AD 330 to 1922, covering the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. The opening night had a twist: guests mingled to Turkish pop and arabesk, with songs by Bergen, Esengül, Şenay and Edip Akbayram.

Curator Tim Stanley treats Byzantine and Ottoman art together, so visitors can follow the links between eras. V&A director Tristram Hunt called Istanbul a creative bridge between East and West.

What's on show?

The silks, tiles, mosaics, manuscripts, sculptures and paintings tell the story through craft as much as through palaces and wars.

One highlight is a set of 6th-century mosaics from the Great Palace of the Byzantine emperors in Sultanahmet. They were uncovered in excavations in 1935, and this is the first time they have been shown outside Istanbul.

Gentile Bellini's portrait of Sultan Mehmed II (Mehmed the Conqueror), on loan from the National Gallery, shows an Ottoman ruler through a Venetian painter's eyes. A 16th-century brocade kaftan that belonged to Selim II, from the Topkapı Palace collection, shows how fabric spoke the language of court splendour.

A section on women's clothing pairs pieces from the Sadberk Hanım Museum, such as a ferace (a long outer robe), a street çarşaf (a full-length cover), an umbrella and shoes, with Osman Hamdi Bey's painting "Women on a Stroll" from the Yapı Kredi collection.

What's next?

The loans from museums in Turkey were coordinated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Koç Group is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and its chairman Ömer Koç said the support is part of a wider effort to make Turkey's cultural heritage visible abroad, including partnerships with the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution.

The exhibition runs until 9 May 2027. If you are in London, it is a chance to see a city you may pass every day from a completely different angle.