First lady Emine Erdoğan hosted Charlotte Merz, spouse of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, during her visit to Türkiye, sharing highlights from their tour of the “Golden Age of Archaeology” exhibition and the Presidential Library.
In a social media post, Erdoğan wrote, “I hope this meaningful visit serves to strengthen the friendship between our countries.” The post included a video of the visit.
The two first toured the exhibition at the Presidential Library, where they viewed 485 artifacts from various ancient cities and the bronze statue of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, returning to Anatolia after 65 years. “I hope this encounter raises awareness about preserving cultural heritage and sustaining humanity’s shared values,” Erdoğan said.
During their library visit, Emine Erdoğan warmly welcomed Charlotte Merz at the entrance. In the library’s Cihannüma Hall, they examined works in the Germany Library section. Erdoğan presented Merz with a German edition of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi’s Masnavi and a promotional book on Türkiye prepared by the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications.
The leaders also visited the Nasreddin Hodja Children’s Library, where they interacted with children participating in activities. They observed simple electrical circuit projects and planet-shaped night lamps created in coding classes, as well as models of planets and Earth’s layers made from playdough. The children gifted the two leaders paintings depicting the moon’s surface.
The visit continued with the “Golden Age of Archaeology” exhibition, featuring artifacts from Türkiye’s largest archaeological project in the Republican era, "Legacy for the Future." Erdoğan and Merz toured the exhibition and received detailed information about the items.
Following the library visit, the two leaders moved to the State Guesthouse for bilateral talks.
On social media, Erdoğan reflected on the visit, saying, “It was a pleasure to introduce rare works, manuscripts, and select collections reflecting the scientific and cultural heritage of our civilization. In the Germany Library section, we reviewed sources representing Germany’s historical and literary legacy.”
