Whether you are planning a trip to İstanbul in the next month or you have just arrived and would like to explore the city where you will be living now or you are like many of us who rarely spare time to go to an exhibition -- well, do not miss this chance to relive the glorious history of this city by visiting the “Legendary İstanbul - From Byzantion to İstanbul: 8000 Years of A Capital” exhibition at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum (SSM).As part of the İstanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture events calendar, to remind the 15 million inhabitants of İstanbul and the entire world of İstanbul’s 8,000-year-old history and its cosmopolitan identity born of a blend of different cultures, selected works from leading museums, libraries and institutions are on display until Sept. 4.
When you enter the exhibition you walk into a darkened area and it is as though you have entered a forest and you can sit on a tree stump to watch a short introduction that provides an excellent time span overview. Before you finish the exhibition you can sit again on some benches under a dome roof-like structure where you can view a presentation of the domes of the many different famous churches and mosques around the city. It is spectacular and by then you are ready to have a reason to sit!
Eight thousand years of İstanbul’s history is represented. The top floor is pre-Byzantium in terms of the split of the Roman Empire into East and West (including Bronze Age finds from Pendik and Fikirtepe on the Asian side), the middle floor is from Byzantium up to the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and the lower floor is Ottoman. There are a lot of creative displays, including the multimedia presentations I mentioned above.
The real beauty of this exhibition is the opportunity to see items on loan from all over Europe. When the Crusaders sacked Constantinople in 1201 they took many icons, Bibles and jewels back with them to Rome, Venice and the monasteries of Italy and France.
Having an interest in the Christian heritage of İstanbul, I found it fascinating and recommend you don’t miss it!
On the Byzantine level you can see wonderful limestone carved Christian tombs from Sivrihisar, depicting Abraham sacrificing Isaac and Jesus teaching the disciples. There are early illuminated manuscript Bibles (one in Arabic, mixing the art style of the Arab world with Western illuminations). There is a charming sculpture of the Good Shepherd.
On the Ottoman floor they have an illuminated Bible in Armenian from 1623 (its picture is under Exhibition Highlights on the website shown below). But the real gem of the exhibition, for those interested in Turkish Bible history, is in a case showing court instruments of the Ottoman Palace. Ali Ufki Bey was a Polish convert to Islam and one of the janissary boys who had a role in the palace as a court musician. It was he who first translated the Bible into Turkish: his translation was the basis of the work of producing the Kitab-ı Mukaddes a few centuries later. In the exhibition is his actual book of Psalms, on loan from the National Library of France. Handwritten and the first time the Mezmurlar were available in Turkish, his melodies were inspired by an early Calvinist hymnbook. It is amazing to look at this 17th century link in the chain to the modern Turkish hymnal and Bible!
Here is the wikipedia link about Ali Ufki Bey: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wojciech_Bobowski
Also on display are some wonderful old Qurans, a beautiful Quran box that even has a domed lid and a wonderful ivory inlaid wooden stand for reading the Quran. Among other exciting historical books are Piri Reis’s maps of the world.
SSM is set in the Sabancı old stately home at Emirgan, just north of the second bridge on the European side. Closed Mon. Cost TL 10 (TL 3 for kids, teachers and over 60s. Take an ID with your date of birth or your school teacher ID to get the concession price).
http://muze.sabanciuniv.edu/exhibition/exhibition.php?lngExhibitionID=101&bytLanguageID=2
Don’t forget, you only have until Sept. 4 to see this!
It was the organizers’ hope that everyone who visits the exhibition will find their desire to discover İstanbul rekindled. I sure did!
Note: Charlotte McPherson is the author of “Culture Smart: Turkey, 2005.” Please keep your questions and observations coming: I want to ensure this column is a help to you, Today’s Zaman’s readers. Email: c.mcpherson@todayszaman.com
