Cinili Kiosk, an enduring building from the reign of Mehmet the Conqueror, XV c, was restored in the 1950s and opened as a ceramic museum. In this photo you can see the marble portico of the entrance to the museum, that consists of 14 columns and splendid enamel mosaics, hosting today the famous Iznik tile collections (Iznik is the former town of Nicaea; "cini' is the name given to handmade glazed tiles, the traditional ceramic technique brought by the Seljuks to Anatolia, that made its fame since the 14th c.) Towards the end of the 19th c. and the beginning of the 20th c. new buildings were added to the museum as the collection grew to an approximate 2,5 million pieces of works of art, out of which only one tenth is on display.
As you enter the museum courtyard in the former School of Fine Arts, outside the building you notice a pair of lion sculptures from the 14 c. BC. Inside you will find the Museum of the Ancient Orient, one of the cultural treats of Istanbul, with outstanding collections from Mesopotamia, Anatolia - remarkable is the Hittite civilization, Egypt, and pre-Islamic Arabia. In my personal opinion as a visitor, for a better aesthetic appreciation of the sarcophagi as well as of many impressive pieces in these collections, their display in larger halls with lots of horizontal space will do them justice. I should say if you have time to spend in Istanbul, this is the best place to enjoy a couple of hours to the delight of your visual sense admiring unique art and beauty from the past.