President Erdoğan: Istanbul, the apple of this geography’s eye, is, for its part, our greatest museum
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the opening ceremony of the Museum of Islamic Civilizations in Istanbul.
Speaking at the ceremony held at Grand Çamlıca Mosque Complex, President Erdoğan stated that civilizations had been developed as the collective work of cities that had added a value to culture, art and science, and said: “Each civilization has given a meaning and identity to their cities within the framework of their own understanding of morality, art, philosophy and religion. The identities of cities have been shaped with their historical, literary, cultural and artistic experiences. Türkiye is a very special geography that has been the cradle of many civilizations, brought together different faiths and cultures under the same roof, and played a key role in the course of history.”
“ISTANBUL IS OUR GREATEST MUSEUM”
Underscoring that ancient cities were each an open air museum, President Erdoğan noted: “Istanbul, the apple of this geography’s eye, is, for its part, our greatest museum. While all the classical museums preserve merely the past, Istanbul is the kind of museum in which the past and today have intertwined with each other and co-existed together. We have added Grand Çamlıca Mosque, Istanbul’s freshest pearl, to our civilizational heritage as the embodiment of our geography’s wealth with its art gallery, library, conference hall, workshops and museum that will serve for ages. Our mosque and complex, which we opened for worship nearly three years ago, has indeed been a work of art that has added a value to Istanbul’s silhouette.”
Underscoring that the Museum of Islamic Civilizations would be one of the most important sections of the complex, President Erdoğan said: “The pieces that will be exhibited in the museum represent the thousand-year-long experience of the Islamic civilization, which has brought in a totally new look to these lands. 650 pieces of art, which have been brought from distinguished museums in Istanbul, will be exhibited in the thematic sections of the museum, founded by the Directorate of National Palaces.”
Prior to the ceremony, President Erdoğan attended the opening of the 39th Book and Culture Fair organized by Türkiye Diyanet Foundation at Grand Çamlıca Mosque Complex.
