Mosaic museum showcases mosaics of the great and magnificent palace that served as a palace to the Byzantine Empire between 330 and 1081 AD.
The Great Palace occupied a rectangular area in the southeastern corner of the historical peninsula where Constantinople is located, just east of the Hippodrome, to the southeast against the city's sea walls, to the east towards the Hagia Sophia church.
It is estimated that the size of the palace is approximately 20,000 m2. The palace has been named by many names throughout history - Basileos Oikia, Hieron Palation, Palaion Palation, Hippodromou Palation, and Magnum Palation.
Many additions were made to the palace by the Roman and Byzantine emperors. During the Fourth Crusade, the Palace was plundered by the soldiers of Boniface In Montferrat. (1200-1204 AD.) Latin Emperor Baodouin II removed the lead roof of the palace and sold it.
Some of the distinctive legacies of the Great Palace that remain today are its magnificent mosaics. The mosaics from the fifth and sixth centuries are exhibited in the Great Palace Mosaics Museum affiliated to the Hagia Sophia Museum Directorate. Many archaeologists attach great importance to these mosaics, both in terms of reflecting the ornaments and culture of that period and in terms of art. Because both the technique used is very successful and there are important descriptions about daily life. It has been understood that the mosaics, which were unearthed in an area of approximately 200m2, were made of terracotta, limestone and various coloured stones of different structures.