Hajj Memories from Türkiye’s Republican Era Displayed in Konya

The “Pilgrimage Memory: Hajj Journeys and Memories from the Republican Era” exhibition, organized by Konya Metropolitan Municipality, has opened to visitors.

Sharing his thoughts on the exhibition, Uğur İbrahim Altay stated that Depo No:4 has become one of Konya’s important cultural centers and noted that exhibitions are held there regularly.

“We are currently in the Hajj season. Many of our fellow citizens are now in the holy lands fulfilling their pilgrimage duties. In line with the significance of this period, we have opened this exhibition here. There were truly emotional moments for me while touring the exhibition because it gave us the opportunity to revisit memories familiar to all of us. It has become a meaningful journey that reflects the experiences of pilgrims from the 1950s to the 1980s, from the beginning of their journeys and the items they carried to their memories and return home. I invite all residents of Konya to visit our Hajj exhibition at Depo No:4 on Mevlana Avenue. I would also like to thank everyone who contributed,” he said.

The “Pilgrimage Memory: Hajj Journeys and Memories from the Republican Era” exhibition retraces the pilgrimage journeys from Türkiye to the holy lands between 1947 and 1995, bringing them back to life through documents, photographs, ephemera, and various objects.

Formed through the long years of work by producer and collector Fatih Ketancı, the collection presents an archive of a period’s social memory, daily life, and emotional atmosphere under the umbrella of the Hajj pilgrimage. Thousands of items, ranging from bus tickets and passports to Zamzam sets, letters, travel photographs, and pilgrimage souvenirs, take visitors on a multilayered journey through Türkiye’s recent Hajj culture.

The exhibition is shaped around the main themes “The History of Hajj from 1517 to 1947,” “Preparation for the Great Journey,” “I Set Out on the Roads to the Kaaba,” “In the Holy Lands,” and “Return,” along with the special sections “Pilgrimage Memory 1-2,” “Keeping the Memory Alive,” “Memories of Konya,” and the “Documentary Room.” It also connects with the city’s collective memory through special documents and memories belonging to Konya.

The documentary room also features a special film screening documenting a pilgrimage journey made in 1974 with private vehicles.