Azernews.Az

By News Centre

The discoveries of Göbeklitepe and Taş Tepeler, which have reshaped what is known about human history, have now met art and history enthusiasts in Berlin. The exhibition, featuring 89 artefacts and four replicas selected from the Şanlıurfa Museum, attracted great interest from its very first day.

Titled “The Discovery of Society: Göbeklitepe, Taş Tepeler and Life 12,000 Years Ago,” the exhibition was prepared in cooperation with Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Vorderasiatisches Museum of the Berlin State Museums. It was inaugurated at a ceremony held at the James Simon Gallery in the German capital. The opening ceremony was attended by Türkiye’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy and Germany’s Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer.

In his opening remarks, Minister Ersoy stated that Türkiye has evolved toward a new strategy in cultural diplomacy. “We have evolved toward a new strategy in cultural diplomacy. We no longer only discover. We protect what we discover. At the same time, we share all of this with the world. When you share it with the world, it becomes more meaningful,” he said. Emphasizing that Türkiye is now recognized as the center of the Neolithic Age, Ersoy described the Taş Tepeler Project as one of the largest projects carried out through international partnerships.

Ersoy noted that a previous exhibition held in Rome, Italy, attracted more than 6 million visitors. “I believe we will break records here as well with more than 6 million visitors. But it will not be limited to Berlin. We are receiving invitations from many countries around the world,” he said. He also revealed that a protocol had been signed with the Colosseum in Rome on December 11 and added, “If we can complete the preparations by June this year, we plan to hold the Troy exhibition at the Colosseum in Rome.” Ersoy stated that 44 of the 89 artefacts brought to Berlin are newly discovered items and that they aim to highlight new finds at every excavation site.

Germany’s Minister of State for Culture, Wolfram Weimer, described Göbeklitepe as a global sensation. “This is truly a worldwide sensation. The world knows and admires the Stonehenge monuments. But what we see here is 7,000 years older than that,” he said. Expressing confidence that the exhibition would draw significant interest in Germany, Weimer added, “We will see a large number of visitors here. This is also an indication of how well Turkish-German cooperation in archaeology has worked for 150 years.” He thanked the Turkish side for its contribution to the exhibition and said, “It is a wonderful day for Turks and Germans to stand together at the cradle of humanity and admire the artefacts displayed here.”

Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mehmet Kasım Gülpınar, who also attended the opening, expressed his satisfaction with the organization and thanked the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. “Promoting Şanlıurfa is extremely important for us. When we possess such a treasure, it is our primary duty to introduce it to the world. Even so far, known history has already changed. The possibility of going even further back is quite high. We have all the material in our hands. Now we want to organize and present it in the best possible way. Şanlıurfa more than deserves to be a tourism city,” he said.