‘Loyalty in Hand, Elegance in Eye: 12,000-Year History of Jewelry Art’ Exhibition Opens in Ankara
Ankara, May 18 – An exhibition titled ‘Loyalty in Hand, Elegance in Eye: 12,000-Year History of Jewelry Art’ was inaugurated at the Ankara Ethnography Museum by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums. The opening, held on May 18, International Museum Day, was attended by Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Gökhan Yazgı.
Deputy Minister Yazgı stated that the exhibition features 550 pieces of jewelry, spanning from the Epipaleolithic (Middle Stone Age) period to the late Ottoman era. “Moreover, 276 of these works are meeting visitors for the first time. These exquisite pieces, meticulously gathered from 60 museums across Turkey, not only offer aesthetic richness but also demonstrate how civilizations nourished each other. Jewelry is one of the oldest forms of human expression. A ring, a necklace, or a seal; sometimes it represents a belief, sometimes a status, and sometimes belonging. Therefore, they are not just ornaments but living historical documents carrying the cultural codes of societies. This exhibition once again reminds us how Anatolia has been a melting pot for different cultures for thousands of years and that humanity actually shares a single, common story,” he said.
Significant Growth in Museum Exhibitions and Private Museums
Deputy Minister Yazgı highlighted that the number of exhibitions held in museums affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has reached 667 since 2002. “Especially the exhibitions held in the last five years clearly demonstrate the dynamism and transformation we have achieved in the field of museology. In 2024, we opened ‘Hittite’ themed exhibitions in Japan, and for 2024-2025 in Korea. We also organized the ‘Göbeklitepe: Mystery of a Sacred Place’ Exhibition in the heart of Rome’s Colosseum in Italy, and ‘Kybele’ themed exhibitions in the Forum area in Rome in 2025. Among these, our Göbeklitepe exhibition reached the highest number of visitors in our history, with 6 million visitors. In February 2026, we opened the ‘Discovery of Society: Life in Göbeklitepe and Taş Tepeler 12 Thousand Years Ago’ exhibition in Berlin, Germany. We will continue to hold Taş Tepeler themed exhibitions in many important cultural centers around the world, such as China, Japan, and Austria. In this process, we also attach great importance to the contributions of our private museums. It is a source of pride for our cultural life that the number of private museums supported by our Ministry has reached 453 today,” he added.
Following his speech, Yazgı toured the exhibition area and received information about the displayed artifacts.
The exhibition provides a comprehensive look into the evolution of jewelry art, reflecting the rich cultural tapestry of Anatolia throughout millennia. It emphasizes the intricate craftsmanship and symbolic significance embedded in each piece, offering visitors a unique journey through history.
The event underscores Ankara’s commitment to preserving and promoting its vast cultural heritage, attracting both local and international visitors to explore the depths of its historical treasures.
