Unit12-Part1-Reading

The Istanbul Toy Museum

There are toy museums in many cities around the world.

The Istanbul Toy Museum is one of them.

The famous poet and writer Sunai Akken set up this museum in the old five -floor mansion of his family in 2005.

The Istanbul Toy Museum is important because it is the first toy museum in Turkey,

and it has been a model for the other toy museums in Turkey.

Akken's interest in museums began during his first visit to a museum at age six.

It was the Istanbul Archaeology Museum.

And when he visited the Nuremberg Toy Museum in Germany twenty years ago,

he came up with the idea of opening a toy museum.

Now, Akken has a collection of 7 ,000 toys and miniatures.

He collected them from auctions and antique shops from about 40 countries in 20 years.

His museum contains 4 ,000 of these items.

They represent different cultures of the world and different historical periods.

Some of the antiques in the museum date back 200 years.

The oldest toy on display is a French violin from the early 1800s.

Other antique toys include a doll from 1820, marbles from the 1860s,

100 -year -old tin toys, and porcelain dolls.

You can also see the teddy bear, Superman, the first Mickey Mouse, Felix the cat,

Popeye, and the Smurfs.

The museum surprises all visitors with its special atmosphere.

For instance, when they enter the space toys section, stars will twinkle above their heads.

The toy trains are on display inside an actual train car.

And in the basement, they can see the inside of a real submarine.

The old toys in the museum make grandparents and parents remember their childhood days.

They also love looking at the old Turkish handmade toys in the gift shop on the first floor.

The Istanbul Toy Museum is one of Turkey's must -see places.

Don't ever miss it.