Understanding the Multi-Sensory in a City’s Cultural Attractions: The Museum Experiences of Istanbul’s Historical Urban Texture

Museums and their peripheries are hubs of intangible heritage, cultural memory and creative narratives in cities. The “sensory” is often overlooked, yet plays a vital role in museum experiences. This study focuses on the multi-sensory visiting experiences of Istanbul museums on its historical peninsula. Fieldwork was based on public participatory, “in-situ”, and mobile methods, “sensewalking” to collect data. We aimed to provide a new insight into understanding the sensory reflections of Istanbul’s cultural attractions. The findings on the visual, haptic, olfactory and auditory museum experiences were helpful for further elucidating adaptable, individual or customisable cultural museum design principles. We understand that the multi-sensorial nature of the museum visiting experiences is related to the historical urban texture, and the transformations in the place re-coded the multi-sensory attractions in the museums. The discussion revealed that the sensory approach needs to be embedded in examining cultural centres, especially museums. This study is the first on the multi-sensory museum experiences of Istanbul’s historical peninsula. Its outcomes are helpful in identifying positive socio-cultural changes in sensory museum models in Turkey and internationally. The study’s impact thus provides opportunities for opening up new perspectives in architecture, museum design, and intangible heritage studies. Sensory experiences-based policymaking and design in Istanbul’s museums can evoke a new understanding.