For centuries Venice and the Ottoman Empire both fought and traded with each other. The most tangible trace of this intertwined relationship stands on the Grand Canal: the Fondaco dei Turchi, the “Warehouse of the Turks”.

The Warehouse of the Turks

The building was put up in the 13th century as the palace of a Venetian noble family, in a Venetian style influenced by the Eastern Roman Empire. In 1621 the Republic of Venice rented it to Ottoman merchants. It served as lodging, warehouse and market; the merchants brought wax, oil, raw wool, leather and tobacco in particular. The Fondaco kept this role until 1838, more than two hundred years. Extensively rebuilt in the 19th century, it has housed the Natural History Museum of Venice since 1923.

Mehmed II’s Venetian painter

After the peace of 1479, Venice sent the painter Gentile Bellini to Istanbul. Bellini’s portrait of Mehmed II, dated 1480, is the best-known image of the sultan; it now hangs in the National Gallery in London. The encounter is seen as a symbol of artistic exchange between the two worlds.

Memories of Lepanto

At the naval Battle of Lepanto in 1571, Venice was one of the main partners of the Holy League. The city holds many reminders of that victory: paintings in the Doge’s Palace and, in the Naval History Museum (Museo Storico Navale), an Ottoman banner said to have been captured in 1571. Yet the Ottomans and Venice made peace again soon afterwards, in 1573.

For Venice, the Ottomans were both the most dangerous rival and the most important trading partner.

What to see today

  • Fondaco dei Turchi: the arcaded façade seen from the Grand Canal; inside, today’s Natural History Museum.
  • Doge’s Palace: large paintings of Lepanto and Venice’s naval victories.
  • Naval History Museum: near the Arsenale, with objects connected to the Ottoman navy.

Tips for your visit

The Fondaco dei Turchi is easiest to reach by vaporetto from the San Stae stop; the best view of the façade is from the opposite bank. Venice is very crowded, so go early in the morning and check the museums’ current opening times in advance. For other Ottoman traces in Europe, see the Vienna page.