The 'bonsai museum,' the first of its kind in Türkiye, currently under construction in Yalova province in the Marmara region, is set to open its doors to visitors within a few months with nearly 200 works showcasing the art of cultivating miniature trees in Far Eastern-style pots, according to an Anadolu Agency (AA) report Sunday.
Bonsai, defined as the art of pruning, dwarfing and shaping trees in pots using special techniques, is among the artistic works followed with great interest in many countries.
The "Yalova Bonsai Museum" is being built by the Special Provincial Administration to promote the art originating from China and Japan, aiming to increase the number of enthusiasts in the city, also known as the "City of Flowers."
Hasan Soygüzel, the President of the Provincial General Assembly, told the AA that they embarked on this journey to establish a bonsai museum in the middle of Türkiye's first two arboretums (tree parks) in the central village of Samanlı and the district of Termal.
Explaining that 60% of Yalova is covered with forests, Soygüzel said: "Our province is also home to Türkiye's first living tree museums. Therefore, to continue this concept, we planned a miniature tree museum."
"In Yalova, we have very valuable instructors interested in bonsai art, and we are incorporating their valuable collections into this museum. This initiative has awakened an excitement in Türkiye," he said.
"We held symposiums and exhibitions in our country and abroad with the participation of artists engaged in bonsai art. As a result of the friendships formed on this occasion, new donations were made to our museum," he further explained.
Therefore, we are establishing one of the first bonsai museums in our country in Yalova, and perhaps the most important in the world. After a few months, we will visit our museum together," Soygüzel added.
Hüseyin Ersoy, the architect and control engineer of the project undertaken by the Provincial Administration, explained that the museum, covering 200 square meters of closed space and 1,800 square meters (19,375 square feet) in total, will have exhibition space and a workshop.
Emphasizing their efforts for accessibility, especially for people with disabilities, Ersoy said: "We took care to provide students and the elderly with the opportunity to come here easily and work in the workshop. Our museum will display nearly 200 bonsai."
Hasan Şimşek, who has been working in bonsai art field for 25 years, expressed his joy at the prospect of exhibiting over 100 of his works in the museum.
"Museums are established to showcase and preserve cultural and natural assets with a certain value. Bonsai is the only art that combines two features mentioned in the definition of art and museum. It is the only art made with a living being. That's why it garners great interest worldwide," he explained.
"The museum will be a milestone for Türkiye to progress in this regard. It will be a work that emphasizes that this is an art. We are very excited. In our museum, we will try to represent all the trees that can be found in our country," noted Şimşek.
"In the future, we even want to include trees representing the 81 provinces of Türkiye. Initially, our works will predominantly be featured in the museum. Still, we also desire to include the representation of artists from different regions of our country with their trees in the museum," he noted.
