I wanted to reshare this important building, especially now that it has been …
February 16, 2026
I wanted to reshare this important building, especially now that it has been used as a filming location for the new Netflix adaptation of The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk, an author I deeply respect.
I first decided to visit Petek Pansiyon after watching a documentary about the owner’s son, who is a musician. In the clip he walks through the building, room by room, telling its story. Seeing the spaces through his perspective made me curious. It did not feel like a commercial hotel. It felt lived in, layered, and personal.
A pansiyon, which translates roughly as a pension in English, is traditionally more affordable than a hotel. It is the kind of place where teachers, lawyers, and doctors would stay when travelling across the country for seminars, talks, or meetings. It carries a certain modesty and practicality, but also intimacy.
When I first stayed there, I met the owner himself, Murat Pilevneli. He would come in every day and speak with the guests. He is an artist, and a genuinely warm presence. During our first conversation, I told him that the place reminded me strongly of The Museum of Innocence. In the novel, Kemal Basmacı retreats into a hotel during his obsessive and hopeless love, searching for meaning and slowly losing his sense of stability. Being inside Petek Pansiyon felt as though I had stepped into one of those scenes.
He seemed surprised and asked whether I was from the media. I said no. He smiled and said it was funny I mentioned that particular scene, because the production team would soon begin filming the series there, specifically for that moment in the story. It truly took me by surprise. This was in November 2024. Filming began in December 2024, and the building appears in the final episode. It is beautifully shot. Caption continues in comments +