Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum is located in Emirgan, one of the oldest settlements of the Bosphorus, in Istanbul.
The villa, which is the main building of the museum, was built in 1925 by the Egyptian Khedive Prince Mehmed Ali Hasan by the Italian architect Edoardo De Nari and was used as a summer residence for many years by various members of the Khedive family.
The mansion, which was purchased from the Hidiv family by the industrialist Hacı Ömer Sabancı from Adana in 1951, became known as the 'Equestrian Mansion' due to the 1864 horse sculpture of the French sculptor Louis Doumas, which was purchased and installed in front of it the same year. The second horse statue in the land of the Atlı Köşk is the cast of one of the four horses taken from Istanbul Sultanahmet square, which was looted by the Crusaders during the 4th Crusade in 1204, and placed in front of the Venetian San Marco church.
After the death of Hacı Ömer Sabancı in 1966, the Atlı Köşk, which was used as a permanent residence by Sakıp Sabancı, the elder of the family, has hosted Sakıp Sabancı's rich calligraphy and painting collection for many years, and in 1998, the Sabancı family was to be converted into a museum with the collections and items in it. Donated to Sabancı University.
Opened to visitors in 2002 with the addition of a modern gallery, the exhibition areas of the Museum were expanded with the arrangement in 2005 and reached international standards at the technical level. Today, Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum offers a versatile museum environment with its rich collection, comprehensive temporary exhibitions it accepts, conservation units, exemplary educational programs, various concerts, conferences and seminars.