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As the first official event of the 2024 Hungarian-Turkish Cultural Year, an archaeological conference entitled “The Land of Great Transformation” was held on Thursday at the Hungarian National Museum.
“The Hungarian-Turkish Cultural Year is a unique opportunity to take stock of the deep-rooted cultural interconnections that can be built upon to further strengthen relations and intensify the cultural presence of the two peoples in each other’s countries,” said Judit Hammerstein, Acting Director General of the Hungarian National Museum, in her welcoming speech.
Judit Hammerstein. Photo: MTI/Balogh Zoltán
As the Director-General explained, the close interweaving of the history and culture of the two countries is reflected in linguistic, ethnographic, and archaeological aspects, among others. “The Ottoman-Turkish cultural influence in Hungary is not only preserved in the architectural monuments of the 16th and 17th centuries, mosques, turrets, baths, but also in the way people dressed and used weapons. The influence can still be seen in thinking and gastronomy, but there are also many examples of Hungarian cultural presence and historical sites in Turkey,” said Judit Hammerstein.
The Director General also mentioned that the Hungarian National Museum houses a number of Turkish historical artifacts, including a special leather cloak, which is a world rarity.
The Hungarian National Museum plans to have a catalogue of Turkish-related objects in its collection by the end of the year,”
she stressed.
Necmi Karul, head of the Department of Prehistoric Archaeology at Istanbul University, gave a presentation on the archaeological site of Göbeklitepe – the site of the first known temple of mankind.
Pál Raczky, Professor Emeritus of the Institute of Archaeological Sciences of ELTE, spoke about the Polgár-Csőszhalom excavation, also revealing the Neolithic period.
Following the conference, a digital exhibition of the Tas Tepeler Project artifacts was held at the Hungarian National Museum.
In the framework of the Hungarian-Turkish Cultural Year, the Hungarian Ministry of Culture and Innovation is organizing a number of artistic and scientific programs. After the opening conference on Thursday, the Hungarian National Museum’s exhibition “Hungarians Building Turkey” will open on Sunday evening at the Ataturk Cultural Center in Istanbul. This traveling exhibition will also be shown in Ankara and Rhodesia. On January 21 and 22, as part of the Cultural Year, the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra will give a concert in Istanbul and Ankara, Türkiye.
Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Balogh Zoltán
