Sometimes a huge city like Istanbul can be overwhelming for children. Monuments crammed with people, the racket of the Grand Bazaar or having to walk long distances can be exhausting, and even boring.
So, if you’re travelling with little ones, you also need to think of entertaining activities that will both appeal and help them to appreciate Turkish culture. Something that will spark their interest while you get to have a fun time together as a family.
Miniaturk is a great destination when your children are tired of doing tourism. It gives you the chance to show them Turkey’s most important buildings on a small scale that is easier for them to understand and includes a wealth of details that they’ll find fascinating.
Miniaturk: a huge space for mini architecture
This surprising theme park opened in 2003 and is great way to discover Turkey all at once. It has a surface area of 60,000 m2 with green spaces, swimming pools, parking and indoor areas. The space also has a huge amphitheatre that can hold 400 people, a children’s playground, a chess maze and a restaurant/café where you can try Turkish cuisine.
It’s located in Istanbul’s Sütlüce neighbourhood on the north-east coast of the Golden Horn. It was built in just over 20 months and its small-scale models take visitors on a journey through all the civilizations that have existed in Turkey to the present day.
The main monuments in Miniaturk
The biggest park of miniatures in the world was the result of years of work to create 135 models of actual monuments from around the country at a 1:25 scale. 62 are from Istanbul, so children can immerse themselves in a tour around the most important attractions in the city.
One of the most impressive, Topkapi Palace, is represented with a wealth of details and an explanation of how it was built. Hagia Sophia, Galata Tower, Süleymaniye Mosque and even modern structures such as Ataturk airport also have their place.
A further 60 models belong to Anatolia, where you can admire the natural wonders of Pamukkale and its natural pools, and the impressive ‘fairy chimneys’ of Cappadocia. This section also shows legendary but now-vanished monuments such as the mausoleum of Halicarnassus or the temple of Artemis, a unique opportunity to see buildings that sadly no longer exist.
The 13 other models belong to Ottoman lands outside of Turkey, such as the Dome of the Rock, an impressive building in Jerusalem, and Stari Most, one of the most famous bridges in the former Yugoslavia.
This means that Miniaturk takes you on a journey beyond Turkey and Turkish culture and tries to offer a comprehensive vision of the huge impact made by the civilizations that have passed through this land while making it easy to understand and fun for children.
The art and culture of thousands of years of history combine with technology to recreate every last detail in the models, which were made using modern lasers and weather-resistant materials.
Miniaturk Glass Museum
If recreating Turkey in miniature form wasn’t impressive enough, the best is saved for last: the Crystal Glass Museum. This spectacular space is the only museum in the world with 3D models made of crystal glass.
Children are sure to be amazed because they have recreated sixteen of the most beautiful monuments in Istanbul, illuminating each one with lasers to make them even more eye-catching.
Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Istanbul Town Hall, the Queen’s Tower and Çıragan Palace are just a few of the lucky buildings that you can admire on your visit – a visit is sure to astound both young and old.
