London Prepares for Turks’ Journey of a Thousand Years

The historic journey begins with artifacts from the Uighur period and continues with artifacts from the Great Seljuk Empire of Iran and the Anatolian Seljuk period, and pieces belonging to the Iranian and Middle Asia Turkmens in Timurlenk Kingdom. The Royal Academy in London began to promote this giant event about Turkey, and Turkish and Ottoman history days ago. British newspapers announced the exhibit with various commentaries and news about the exhibition’s opening which will be attended by the Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu. A giant poster featuring a portrait of Mehmet the Conqueror in Piccadilly, where the Royal Academy is located, also promote the exhibit. The exhibit and related activities will continue until April 12th.

A thousand year accumulation of Turkish culture will be presented to Europeans for the first time in this three month long comprehensive since the exhibit titled "The Sword of Suleyman the Magnificient." The cultural and artistic richness of Turkish speaking peoples will be introduced in "Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600-1600." European art lovers will be able to see about 400 artifacts collected from the Topkapi Palace, the Sabanci Museum, and some famous foreign museums and culture palaces. About 350,000 people are expected to attend the exhibit and its related conferences and activities. Prominent invaluable collections from Topkapi Palace and the Istanbul Turkish and Islamic Traces Museum, in particular, as well as some private collections belonging to about 37 individuals and institutions in Europe and the US that have never been out of Istanbul before will be exhibited at the Royal Academy for the three month exhibition.

The creators of "Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600-1600" are Principle of the Topkapi Palace Museum Doctor Filiz Cagman, Former Principle of the Turkish and Islamic Traces Museum and Principle of the Sakip Sabanci Museum Doctor Nazan Olcer, the Royal Academy of Arts Exhibition Creator Adrian Locke, and Harvard University Professor on Islamic Arts David Roxburgh who is the responsible official for Norman Rosenthal exhibitions.