Türkiye’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Gökhan Yazgı said the “Troy and Rome: Myths, Legends and Stories of the Ancient Mediterranean” exhibition in Rome has drawn attention from experts in the fields of science and tourism, adding that it could become an exhibition of global significance with a record number of visitors.
Yazgı, who was in Çanakkale for the opening of the Çanakkale Culture Route Festival, spoke about the exhibition, which was organized by the Culture and Tourism Ministry at Rome’s Colosseum.
The exhibition, which opened June 14, has made a major impact internationally, Yazgı said.
“This is our second exhibition in the heart of Rome, at the Colosseum. We previously held our Göbeklitepe exhibition there, which also attracted great interest. With our Troy exhibition, which will run until October, we have also made a major impact. Many experts, both in science and tourism, are now talking about this exhibition. With a record number of visitors, we may have created an exhibition that will hold a very special place in the world,” he said.
Yazgı said the exhibition has attracted significant attention from experts in both the scientific and tourism fields. “This is our second exhibition in the heart of Rome, at the Colosseum. We previously held our Göbeklitepe exhibition there, which also attracted great interest,” he said, adding that the Troy exhibition, which will run through October, has also made a major impact. “With a record number of visitors, we may have created an exhibition that will hold a very special place in the world,” he said.
Yazgı said the exhibition is part of the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s broader effort to showcase Türkiye’s thousands of years of civilizational heritage to the world. He said Çanakkale holds particular importance in this effort because of its connection to Troy and the legendary story passed down through Homer’s verses. “We wanted to introduce the legend of Troy, the legend that comes from Homer’s verses, to the world,” he said.
The exhibition features 200 artifacts from 19 museums, Yazgı said, adding that it represents an “incredible inventory.”
“At a place like the Colosseum, visitors are perhaps spending as much time at the exhibition as they do touring the Colosseum itself,” he said.
