Held by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Culture Inc., an exhibition titled, "Sultanların Sanata Yansıyan İzleri" (Traces of Sultans Reflected in Art) has opened its doors to art lovers in Istanbul.Speaking at the opening ceremony of the exhibition which was held at the Turkish and Islamic Art Museum, Head of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's Cultural Department Abdurrahman Şen said the exhibition includes one of the most beautiful examples of the past. "We are celebrating Sultan Abdülhamid Han's birthday with the events at Dolmabahçe Palace and we are having another exhibition at the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall. This exhibition demonstrates the treasures and cultural richness we have. Therefore, I believe modern artists should also learn from it as much as possible," Şen said.Reyhan İsen, an ornamentation and miniature artist, said two of her works will be exhibited. "We were inspired by the book titled, 'Sultanların Şiirleri, Şiirlerin Sultanları' (Poems of Sultans, Sultans of Poems). We worked on 11 sultans who wrote Ottoman poems," İsen said.Şen also thanked the artists whose works are on exhibit, sending his kindest regards to the mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Kadir Topbaş.Mustafa İsen, AK Party deputy of Sakarya, said that "sanat" (art) and "sultanate" are actually two words that are related with each other: "Members of the 'sultanate' needed artists to transfer what they had [their legacy] to the [future] generations. Similarly, artists needed members of the 'sultanate' to have a platform where they could deliver their messages easily. There are many examples of this seen around the world," İsen said.İsen also added that members of the Turkish dynasty not only protected art but also practiced it: "Members of the dynasty are important figures who not only embraced art but also practiced it. One of the great Turkish authors Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar uses the image of the palace as a metaphor as the center of enlightenment" about an image in which the palace is the center of enlightenment. In fact, what we consider "art" is actually a pattern created by elements which are important to a civilization. This exhibition includes very interesting examples of this. There are samples of poems written by sultans accompanied with calligraphy and illuminations that reflect their own era," İsen added.Pointing to the treasures of the Turkish people that have recently been discovered, İsen expressed his thanks to the organizations that supported this event.Meanwhile, Münevver Üçer, a miniature artist, said the exhibition was based on Ottoman sultans who attached importance to art and artists, saying, "Our artists produced different works inspired by 11 sultans who wrote poems. With this exhibition, we tried to emphasize the fact that sultans were close to art and artists played a huge role in the development of art," Üçer said.Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Reyhan İsen, an ornamentation and miniature artist, said two of her works will be exhibited, pointing out that "We were inspired by the book titled, 'Sultanların Şiirleri, Şiirlerin Sultanları' (Poems of Sultans, Sultans of Poems), written by my husband, Mustafa İsen. We worked on 11 sultans who wrote Ottoman poems," İsen said.İsen told AA that she was born in the northwestern city of Edirne, where the Complex of Sultan Bayezid II is located (a complex of social and religious buildings that were common in Ottoman times). "As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw the complex. I received the first information from my grandfather, father, mother and neighbors. It had a mosque, hospital and musical therapy department. I grew up watching and listening to them. When I heard about the project, I wanted to be part of Sultan Bayezid II and put my heart and soul into it. I had a deeper interest in him because we used to play with children in my neighborhood at this complex. Edirne gained a lot thanks to him".İsen also said that preparations for the exhibition took two years, including meticulous research on patterns of the relevant era, and added they mostly worked on motifs of the period of the Baba Nakkaş, which coincides with the period of Sultan Bayezid II and Mehmed the Conqueror."For example, Sultan Bayezid II is considered as ascetic sultan, but when I was doing the research, I learned that he is actually the founder of Galatasaray High School and attaches great importance to science. He also protected art throughout this period," İsen said.The exhibition includes works illumination artist Prof. Faruk Taşkale, marbling artist Assoc. Prof. Sacit Açıkgözoğlu, miniature artist Assoc. Prof. Münevver Üçer, calligraphy artist Asst. Prof. Hüseyin Gündüz, "kalemişi" (an ornament technique) artist Asst. Prof. Kaya Üçer, illumination artist Atilla Yusuf Turgut, illumination artist Hüsna Kılıç, tile artist Emel Basut Gemici, illumination and miniature artist Reyhan İsen and illumination artist Esin Kazazoğlu, all inspired by the poems of 11 Ottoman sultans. The exhibition will be open until Oct. 5.