‘’Albania Once Upon a Time’’ Historical Postcards Exhibition was opened in Shkodër, Albania.

In the exhibition opened by Shkodër Yunus Emre Institute under the auspices of the Turkish Embassy in Tirana, postcards of cities in Albania from the private collection of Turkish collector Mehmet Diktaş are on display.

‘’WE WANT TO BUILD COMMUNICATION BRIDGES’’

Turkey’s Ambassador to Tirana Murat Ahmet Yörük, apart from representatives of Turkish and local institutions and organizations in the country and other guests, attended the opening program of the exhibition at the Shkodër Art Gallery.

Ambassador Yörük, in his speech here, said that they wanted to build communication bridges with this exhibition.

Speaking about the collector Diktaş, Yörük said, ‘’He is from Peja, Kosovo. He is actually a part of this ancient, surviving geography and one of the leading collectors of historical artifacts and documents in Turkey.  However, he loves to share these collections with the public, and history and culture enthusiasts. We wanted to establish a bridge of fidelity to a visual and documentary history between the past and the present. With this exhibition, you will take a pleasant journey through the past and your personal histories.

‘’VISITORS TAKE A JOURNEY IN HISTORY’’

Stating that this exhibition aimed to take visitors on a journey through history, Shkodër Yunus Emre Institute Director Zafer Kıyıcı said, ‘’We are presenting 224 postcards and 4 stamps with a private selection made from hundreds of postcards from the Mehmet Diktaş collection from the 1900s. Postcards, which contain a lot of information about life, revive many memories that are about to be erased.’’

Governor of Shkodër Maylinda Angoni emphasized that thanks to this exhibition, they had the opportunity to see that Shkodër was a cultural and commercial center in the 1900s, and there was an active and cultural life here.

‘’THE LANDS WE LEFT REMAINED IN OUR HEARTS’’

Reminding that his family migrated from the Balkans to Turkey, the collector Diktaş said, ‘’The land we left has remained in our hearts. That’s why we remember them with longing and affection as our heartland.

I hope these naive postcards will also be the foundation and guardian of brotherhood, friendship, and a life without war.