An exhibition "Turkey, Сlose and Far" dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey opened in the New Building of the National Library of Russia.
The exhibition was opened by Director General of the National Library of Russia Vladimir Gronskii. He noted that "in addition to rare editions of the 18th - early 20th centuries from the collection of the National Library of Russia, dedicated to the history and culture of the Republic of Turkey, the exhibition features samples of fabrics, embroidery, ornaments and national costumes modeled after the examples of the 19th - early 20th centuries. All the artifacts were specially provided by the Institute of Vocational Education of Izmir".
Consul General of the Republic of Turkey Özgün Talu spoke about the close ties between our countries. "We know that during the time of the Russian Empire, "Turkish corners" appeared in some houses in St. Petersburg. Collections of national books, manuscripts, clothing, carpets and accessories also began to form, and studies of our language began at the State University." Mr. Talu donated a book of works by the poet Yunus Emre and a collection of Turkish dictionaries to the library.
The guests were also greeted by Arbi Abubakarov, Deputy Chairman of the St. Petersburg Committee for External Relations, Andrei Aleskerov, Deputy Chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee, who brought greetings from Alexander Belskii, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, and Alexander Prokhorenko, Deputy Director General of the State Hermitage.
Sergey Kurylev, curator of the exhibition and specialist of the Asia and Africa Literature Department, told the guests about the most interesting exhibits.
The exhibition tells about one of the most popular people in Turkey, the great reformer Ataturk and the formation of the Turkish state. Guests can see the newspapers "Pravda", "Izvestiya" and "Gudok" from 1923 with a greeting to the Turkish people on the occasion of the proclamation of the Republic.
One of the sections is dedicated to the study of the Turkish language, which has a long and rich history. It includes a 1670 Oxford textbook on Turkish grammar, a "Anthology of Selected Ottoman Works for the Study of the Ottoman Language" published in St. Petersburg in 1857, "Informal Turkish-Latin Conversations or Turkish Speech" (Brandenburg, 1672) and "Latin-Turkish-German Dictionary" (Leipzig, 1730).
A unique part of the exposition are the works "The Death of Sultan Osman and the Restoration of Mustafa on the Throne" (Paris, 1678), "The Relationship of Mehmed Efendi's Embassy to the Court of France in 1721" (Paris, 1757). Another interesting exhibit is the memoirs of the Turkish diplomat Ahmet Durri-efendi about the life of the Iranian court, "The True Report of the Embassy to Shah Soltan Hussein" (1730).
The exhibition presents geographical atlases and maps of 19th - early 20th centuries with the political and geographical structure of the world of that period.
Rare examples of Turkish lubok of the early 20th century, depicting the everyday life of the time are also presented at the exhibition. The exhibition is complemented by publications on the research of Turkish architecture, handicrafts and traditional cuisine, as well as artifacts.
The opening ceremony included a fashion show of historical costume, with students of St. Petersburg Fashion College as models.
The exhibition is organized by the National Library of Russia in collaboration with the Consulate General of the Republic of Turkey in St. Petersburg.