President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, accompanied by the Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, visited the “Treasures and Tradition of Tulip in the Ottoman Empire” themed exhibition in the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto.

As part of the events of “2019 Year of Turkish Culture in Japan”, “Treasures and Tradition of Tulip in the Ottoman Empire” exhibition welcomes art-enthusiasts in Kyoto after Tokyo.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, his wife Emine Erdoğan, Princess of Japan Her Highness Akiko Mikasa and Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy paid a visit to “Treasures and Tradition of Tulip in the Ottoman Empire” exhibition in the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto.

Welcomed by Princess Her Highness Akiko at his arrival in the museum, President Erdoğan saluted the people waiting for him. Visiting the museum with his wife Emine Erdoğan and Princess Her Highness Akiko, President Erdoğan was informed by the officials about the artefacts in the exhibition.

President Erdoğan, after his visit, shares with the journalists his opinion on the exhibition, quoted as stating, “On the occasion of '2019 Year of Turkish Culture in Japan', we wanted to display all these artefacts reflecting the common aspects of the Turkish and Japanese cultures, notably those created during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II. The exhibition, first in Tokyo and then Kyoto, has received great interest. In my opinion, this interest will further strengthen the solidarity between the Turkish and Japanese people because culture is the most valuable asset of a country and those highlighting cultural riches open up great opportunities for the integration of the Peoples.”

Thanking the contributors of the exhibition, President Erdoğan said, “The organization of this exhibition in other countries is one of the most important goals of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.”

When reminded about the theme of the exhibition, President Erdoğan said, “Tulip is a common motive of Türkiye and Japan; thus, it has been the highlight of this exhibition, and lots of artefacts with tulip patterns are being showcased and presented to reach out to more people.”

Princess Akiko expressed how happy she was about the organization of this exhibition in Kyoto after Tokio, stating: “We will mark the 130th anniversary of the start of the Turkish-Japan relations. Taking this opportunity, I wish the people of both countries would get to know each other better and our relations would become stronger.”

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Treasury and Finance Berat Albayrak, Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar, Minister of Trade Ruhsar Pekcan, Head of Communication Department of the Turkish Presidency Fahrettin Altun and the Turkish Presidential Spokesman İbrahim Kalın as well as the Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Emin Ersoy accompanied President Erdoğan during his visit to Japan.

185 Artefacts from Ottoman palaces on display

185 artefacts from Ottoman Palaces are being displayed in the exhibition and categorized into “Tulip in Ottoman Palace”, “Topkapı Palace”, “Sultan” and “Turkish-Japan Relations”. 162 artefacts from Topkapı Palace, 9 from Dolmabahçe Palace and 14 from Yıldız Palace are on display, and there are lots of artefacts such as the Ottoman Sultans’ kaftans, thrones, tughras, crest, ceremony flask, arrow, bow, dagger, sword, armour, kaftan, rose water flask, prayer rug, tiles, vase and carpenter’s tools.

Source: Anatolian Agency

(30.06.2019)