Ancient Heritage Brought to Life in Konya

The exhibition “Trace of Memory: Neolithic City Catalhoyuk,” organized in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Konya Metropolitan Municipality as part of the Türkiye Culture Route Festival, has opened.

At the opening of the exhibition hosted by the Catalhoyuk Promotion and Welcome Center, established by Konya Metropolitan Municipality to contribute to the recognition of Çatalhöyük—listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site—both in Türkiye and around the world, Curator Siret Uyanık said that holding the exhibition at an archaeological site is truly exciting.

Deputy Mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality Mustafa Uzbaş said, “Today we are bringing a 9,500-year-old historical heritage into the present with your works. We are presenting it to our citizens’ appreciation. Thank you for your efforts, we are glad you are here. Hopefully, this will be a beginning for us, and we will be very pleased to come together with you in the future through different and even more beautiful projects.”

Academic and painter Hasan Pekmezci shared his thoughts, saying: “Civilization is often said to begin with writing, but not in the sense of the alphabetic script we know; every line, every depiction, every carving is a means of expression. History is written not only with beautiful script but also through depictions. The land of Anatolia is immensely rich and powerful in this regard. To represent these is, in a way, to preserve the sense of loyalty to the past. Moreover, the fact that this exhibition is being held in such a place, in its own land, in the very region where it once lived, carries a special significance.”