Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires at the V&A

Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires is the V&A's major exhibition on one of the world's great cities. Through more than 200 objects, it traces around 1,600 years of art, design and architecture, from the founding of Constantinople as a Roman capital in AD 330 to the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1922. The exhibition runs at V&A South Kensington from 7 November 2026 to 9 May 2027.

Byzantine and Ottoman Istanbul is usually told as two separate stories. This exhibition presents them as one continuous history of a city that has always been a meeting point of cultures.

About the Exhibition

Spread across Galleries 38 and 39, the exhibition follows the city through two empires. Byzantine Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, produced mosaics, icons, ivories and silks of extraordinary refinement. After 1453, Ottoman Istanbul became the centre of an empire stretching across three continents, with its own celebrated arts: Iznik ceramics, calligraphy, textiles, carpets and architecture shaped by Mimar Sinan.

Exhibition Dates

5–6 November 2026 — Members' preview days 7 November 2026 — Opens to the public 9 May 2027 — Exhibition closes

Why Visit Constantinople to Istanbul?

For designers, the exhibition is a lesson in pattern, ornament and craft at the highest level. Byzantine gold-ground images, Ottoman tile designs, calligraphy and textile motifs have influenced designers for centuries, and seeing them together shows how ideas travelled between cultures. Illustrators and graphic designers will find rich sources of colour, line and composition.

Who Should Visit?

• Graphic designers and illustrators interested in pattern and calligraphy
• Ceramicists and textile designers
• Architecture and design history students
• Anyone with a connection to Istanbul or curiosity about it

Tickets

• Weekdays: £25
• Weekends: £27
• Concessions available; V&A members free

Advance booking is recommended. The V&A's permanent collection is free to visit.

Tips for Visiting

Book a weekday slot for a calmer visit. After the exhibition, explore the V&A's permanent Islamic Middle East gallery and Medieval and Renaissance galleries to see more objects from the same traditions. The museum shop and library are good places to continue research. Weekday mornings are usually the quietest time, and the museum cafe, in the original Victorian refreshment rooms, is worth a stop.

Planning Your Visit

V&A South Kensington is on Cromwell Road, close to South Kensington station, next to the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum.

Byzantine and Ottoman Design Highlights

Byzantine art is known for its glowing gold backgrounds, carved ivories, enamel and silk woven with eagles and lions. Ottoman design brought its own vocabulary: tulips, carnations and saz leaves on Iznik tiles and textiles, elegant calligraphy and the tughra, the sultan's ornate monogram. Following these motifs through the exhibition shows how the city's craftspeople borrowed from the past and from neighbouring cultures, and how pattern can carry meaning across centuries.

Combine With a Trip to Istanbul

If the exhibition inspires you, Istanbul itself remains the best place to see this heritage in context: Hagia Sophia, the Topkapı Palace, the Süleymaniye Mosque and the city's museums hold many objects and buildings from both empires. The exhibition is a good introduction before a visit, or a way to understand what you have seen there.

Things to Know

• Dates: 7 November 2026 – 9 May 2027.
• Over 200 objects from AD 330 to 1922.
• Tickets: £25 weekdays, £27 weekends.
• Members: free, with preview days.

Visit the Exhibition

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Tickets and opening hours are on the official V&A website.

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Last verified: October 29, 2026