Behind the austerely handsome glass façade lies a whole new world.

The Atatürk Cultural Centre (Atatürk Kültür Merkezi or AKM), located in Taksim Square and run by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, is Istanbul’s premier and most capacious venue for concerts, also hosting theatre and ballet performances. Reopened in October 2021 after being completely rebuilt, the complex now includes a number of spaces dedicated to various functions plus a selection of restaurants and cafés.

The main concert hall is the Türk Telekom Opera Hall (Türk Telekom Opera Salonu), which has a seating capacity of 2,040; the AKM complex also includes a Theatre Hall (Tiyatro Salonu) seating 800 and a ‘Culture Route’ (Kültür Yolu) containing the AKM Music Platform (AKM Müzik Platformu), a Children’s Arts Centre (Çocuk Sanat Merkezi), an Exhibition Hall (Sergi Salonu) and a cinema. Seen from the foyer (fuaye), the Opera Hall looks like a dark red blood orange with a coruscated and lacquered outer shell; 15,000 specially-manufactured ceramic tiles were used in this shell’s construction. The acoustics in the Opera Hall are adequate, but not as good as those of the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Concert Hall in İzmir, which has the best acoustics of any concert hall in Turkey.

The nearest metro station is Taksim, on the M2 metro line. Taking the Taksim Meydanı (‘Taksim Square’) exit, you will emerge in the middle of the square. The Atatürk Cultural Centre is the large, glass-fronted building at the eastern end of the square – i.e., at the opposite end from the mosque. If you are coming from the Old City, take the tram to Kabataş then the funicular to Taksim.