Traditional costumes and accessories featured in folk dance performances from various countries around the world are on display at Istanbul's World Costumes Museum. Founded in 2011, the museum showcases traditional garb and ornaments from traditional cultures from around the world, including vests, tops, skirts, shoes, handkerchiefs, scarves, fezzes, hats, jodhpurs and pants, which offer intriguing sights for museum visitors.

The International Büyükçekmece Culture and Art Festival, which was chosen as the best festival in the world two years in a row in 2010 and 2011, has contributed to the richness of the displays at the World Costumes Museum. The festival, a 15-year-old tradition, welcomes thousands of art ambassadors from hundreds of different countries. Participants in the festival come from all over the world and at the end of the festival donate their traditional folkloric clothes to the museum. The World Costumes Museum assumes a dynamic identity while preserving traditional culture that doesn't change. Again this year, the guests of the International Büyükçekmece Culture and Art Festival donated their costumes to the museum.

Büyükçekmece Municipality Mayor Hasan Akgün said the municipality protects historic and cultural values and aims to keep them alive, while promoting Turkey's national culture to the world. Commenting on the museum, Akgün said: "Passing down the costumes and cultural artifacts brought by our guests is of the utmost importance to us, because we believe that other world cultures should be kept alive as well; not just our national culture. Büyükçekmece, which aims to be a prominent art and culture hub, will continue to protect the values that left important marks in the history of civilizations."

Located near Büyükçekmece's historic fish restaurants, the World Costumes Museum is open from 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. every day except for Thursdays and Sundays.