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Turkey's first toy museum
Goztepe is a quiet neighbourhood on the Asian shore filled with historic villas. Sunay Akin, a poet and radio and television presenter, recently opened a toy museum in just such a villa-his family home. Akin was inspired to open a toy museum in Turkey after he saw a similar museum in Berlin.The museum boasts 2000 toys, which Akın collected during his travels. The oldest is a violin dating from 1817. The collection also includes an American doll from 1820, marbles from 1860 and 100-year-old German tin toys.
The museum was created by set designer Ayhan Doğan. The cafe on the ground floor is filled with toy kitchenware. The first floor is dedicated to Turkish toys, the second to police, ambulance and hospital-related toys and the third to space-related toys. Toy trains are displayed in a real train compartment and the basement is home to a submarine filled with fish.
Address: Omer Pasa Cad. Dr. Zeki Zeren Sok. Goztepe. Tel: +90 216-359 45 50. Open weekdays 09.00-18.00, except Mondays. Open until 20.00 on weekends.
