Istanbul museum to be open for foreigners amid curfew

Istanbul's Pera Museum will continue welcoming art lovers from abroad as its doors will be open for foreign visitors amid a weekend lockdown in Turkey.

In a statement, the museum said that as part of the new measures taken against the pandemic, a curfew is imposed on weekends, while excluding foreign tourists.

"Tourists visiting the museum have the opportunity to see the collection exhibitions, Osman Hamdi Bey's famous 'Tortoise Trainer', and 'Miniature 2.0' exhibition, which brings together contemporary miniature interpretations of artists from different countries," the statement added.

Pera Museum will be open between 11.00 and 18.00 on Saturday and between 12.00 and 18.00 on Sunday.

"In line with the hygiene and social distance measures applied in the museum, a limited number of concurrent visitors are accepted in the exhibition halls and Artshop," the statement added.

Opened in 2005 by Suna and Inan Kirac Foundation in Istanbul's historic Tepebasi quarter, the museum houses both the Foundation's permanent collection and national and international temporary exhibitions.

On Monday, stepping up measures against a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Turkey introduced new restrictions, including a curfew on weeknights and a full weekend curfew.