Topkapi Palace Clock Collection

The museum & the collection

From the late 15th to the mid-19th century, Topkapi Palace stood at the heart of the Ottoman Empire, serving as the residence of the sultans and the administrative centre of imperial life. Within this historic setting, the palace’s clock collection offers a remarkable view on the art of timekeeping across cultures and centuries.

Presented in the Has Ahırlar, the Royal Stables in the palace’s second courtyard, the dedicated Clock Museum brings together around 300 timepieces, many shown to the public for the first time. The collection includes Ottoman works, European clocks offered as diplomatic gifts, musical automaton clocks, pocket watches, longcase clocks, measuring instruments and watchmaking tools. The collection ranges from small and delicate objects to monumental clocks of more than 2.4 metres and approximately 600 kilograms, impressing the visitors with its technical ingenuity and artistic refinement.

The assignment & the challenges

Meyvaert helped define the right display solutions for this important new presentation and created a coherent family of 14 showcases. The museum wanted visitors to experience the clocks as artworks, with clear visibility of their decorative and mechanical details, while ensuring stable conservation conditions, strong security and flexible lighting.

The variety of the collection made this a demanding assignment. Some clocks were compact and intricate; others were exceptionally tall and heavy. Several showcases therefore had to rise above three metres, with some reaching up to four metres. Many doors were large and heavy, weighing up to 320 kilograms. One pull-and-slide showcase required a double-sided opening system with doors of 3 by 2.1 metres, each weighing around 200 kilograms. The design also included a brass finish on selected cases, as well as a large curved “serpentine” showcase of approximately 21 metres in total length.

As the installation took place within the historic grounds of Topkapi Palace, Meyvaert’s experience in heritage environments proved essential.

The solutions & the result

Meyvaert translated these requirements into a tailored set of showcases. Reinforced plinths and exhibition plates were used to support the heaviest objects, while integrated setwork elements helped create the impression of a continuous display wall. The dark grey interiors intensify the shine of the gold-toned clocks and highlight the richness of their materials without distracting from the objects themselves.

For one of the most demanding presentations, Meyvaert introduced a telescopic electric lifting system. This solution was developed because the available base height was too low for the standard hydraulic system, while the object itself required significant vertical clearance. The project also included a double-sided pull-and-slide opening system, developed to provide access to large display volumes while maintaining the required stability and usability.

The team anticipated the constraints of the existing historical site and ensured that the large showcases could be brought in and installed with care, precision and flexibility.
 
The scale and finish of the showcases support the importance of the objects, while the lighting, security and conservation features allow the museum to present the collection with confidence.