The second leg of the Turkey Week activities, themed as "Göbeklitepe: Humans and Life," dedicated to 2019 Year of Göbeklitepe, has been conducted in Croatia. Turkish culture has swept through the historical and noteworthy venues in Zagreb where the events were held between May 15 and 18, 2019.

The opening of "Turkey Week," organized by Yunus Emre Institute, was done with the exhibition entitled "Göbeklitepe: From Past to Present." The exhibition, launched at Archaeological Museum in Zagreb, attracted a great deal of attention.

Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Zagreb Mustafa Babür Hızlan delivered a keynoted during the opening ceremony of the exhibition, stressing the importance of the discovery of Göbeklitepe not only to Turkey, but also to the whole world.

Noting that 2019 had been declared as the Year of Göbeklitepe, Director of the Archaeological Museum Sanjin Mihelić drew attention to the importance of the exhibition opened in terms of promoting the world's oldest temple known. Mihelić underlined that it is of great significance to bring the civilizations that would shed light on the history of humanity to the attention of the world, and expressed his hope that the next year's promotional activities should focus on the prehistoric civilization of the Hittites, which constitutes one of the cornerstones of the human civilization.

During the event that took place at the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb, Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) Regional Development Administration Press and Public Relations General Coordinator Demet Bektaş provided information on history of Göbeklitepe and the region. Bektaş briefed the attendants about the excavations carried out in the site as well as technical features of the monuments unearthed during the excavations.   

Unique tastes from Turkish cuisine

The richness and gastronomy culture of the Turkish cuisine, shaped by geographical location and conditions of Anatolia, which has been home to many ancient civilizations, have been presented to taste of Croatian guests.  A Turkish table was set up with the delicacies prepared by famous chef and cookbook writer Ali Açıkgül and chef İdris Güler.

Hosted by Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Zagreb Mustafa Babür Hızlan, the opening dinner of the Turkish Week event was attended by the deputy minister of Croatia, deputy minister of foreign affairs, the chairman of the Turkey-Palestine Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, members of parliament, directors of museums and cultural centers, representatives of embassies and many guests.

The events that also included Turkish cuisine workshops were held at Crikvenica Jadran Hotel with the participation of the president and members of the Union of Croatian Chefs and many chefs. Under the supervision of chef Açıkgül, the participants were briefed about Turkish culinary culture and history and had a chance to practice with the recipes they learned at the workshops.

Anatolian patterns showcased in ceramics

The patterns that belong to different Anatolian civilizations have come to life with the Turkish ceramic art. The "Anatolian Civilizations Ceramic Exhibition," inspired by the rich history of Anatolia and featuring the personal collection by Prof. Dr. Sıdıka Sibel Sevim and Dr. Cemalettin Sevim, who are faculty members at Anadolu University, was opened at the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb.

The artists also gave an interview on the "Turkish Ceramic Art" and held a workshop at the Art High School in Zagreb. During the workshop, attended by the teachers and students from the Ceramic Art Department of the Art High School, the subtleties, history and methods of the Turkish ceramic art were provided. In the workshop, the students designed their own works and decorated them with Turkish patterns.

Anatolia's rich cultural heritage meets music

On May 17, cellist Uğur Işık gave the "Spirit of Anatolia" concert, in which he blended Anatolia's rich cultural heritage, at Zagreb Puppet Theater. The concert also featured tunes from the civilizations hosted in Anatolia, and Işık was accompanied by Ferruh Avni Yarkın, Mustafa Doğan Dikmen and Umut Sel.

Cellist Işık also held a music mastery classroom for the Croatian students attending the Music Academic of the University of Zagreb.

GAP from past to present

The "GAP from Past to Present with Photographs" exhibition, curated by the GAP Regional Development Administration, and featuring scenes of life in the Southeastern Anatolia Region, was also opened. The exhibition showcasing the historical and cultural assets of the region will be open to visitors at Yunus Emre Institute's Zagreb Branch until the end of May.  

Göbeklitepe's world tour continues

The "Turkish Week" events was held by Yunus Emre Institute in Zagreb under the auspices of the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Zagreb and in cooperation with Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey, GAP Regional Development Administration, Doğuş Group, Kentbank, Turkish Airlines (THY), the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb, the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb and the University of Zagreb.

Throughout the year, the events, themed as "Göbeklitepe: Humans and Life," will be held also in Saint Petersburg (Russia), Tirana (Albania), Madrid (Spain), Belgrade (Serbia), Tunis (Tunisia), and Beirut (Lebanon).