Büyükelçi Selçuk Ünal’ın Uluslararası Kaya Sanatı, Tamga ve Eski Türk Harfleri Sergisi’nin Açılışındaki Konuşması

(Yunus Emre Enstitüsü, Amsterdam, 14 Eylül 2023)

Aziz Kardaşlarım,

Kıymetli Misafirler,

Türkiye Cumhuriyeti’nin kuruluşunun 100. yıldönümü faaliyetleri kapsamında tarihi Türk “Tamga”larını tanıtıcı uluslararası sergiyi Yunus Emre Enstitümüzle birlikte düzenlemekten büyük bir memnuniyet duyuyoruz. Yüz yıl önce Cumhuriyetimizin banisi Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’ün önderliğinde İstiklal Harbi zaferiyle başlayan süreç devletimizin kuruluşu ile sonuçlanmıştı.

Yunus Emre Enstitü’müze ev sahipliği için teşekkür ediyoruz. Türk Devletleri Teşkilatı’nın Bakü’de yerleşik Türk Kültürü ve Mirası Vakfı Başkanı Büyükelçi Sayın Günay Afandiyeva’ya, Azerbaycan Büyükelçisi, kardeşim Rahman Bey’e ve Kazakistan Büyükelçisi kardeşim Askar Bey’e de teşekkür ediyorum. Birlikte düzenlediğimiz bu sergiyle bugün Tanrı Dağları’ndan Anadolu’ya, birlikte daha da büyüdük.

Böylelikle Türk Devletleri Teşkilatı-Türk Kültürü ve Mirası Vakfı’nın Hollanda’daki ilk etkinliğini hep birlikte gerçekleştirmekten gurur duyuyoruz.

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,

As you know, this year is special for us. We are celebrating a special time of Turkish history. After huge struggles and a great victory of the Independence War, the Republic of Türkiye was founded 100 years ago.On the occassion of the 100thanniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Türkiye, it is a great pleasure for me to be here at the opening of the International Exhibition of Petroglyphs, Tribal Tamga and Ancient Turkic Letters.

Firstly, I thank the Amsterdam Yunus Emre Institute, Director Mr. Adil Akaltun and all our colleagues, for hosting this exhibition. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Distinguished Ambassadors of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan for their efforts in organizing this immensely interesting event. We are also honored today by the presence of Madam Ambassador Günay Afandiyeva, President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation in Baku.

This is indeed a fascinating exhibition. The material displayed here reflect the millennia-long history of the Turkic peoples and the richness of Turkic culture and heritage throughout the ages. The exhibits also mirror the vast geography inhabited by the Turkic peoples, from Mongolia to the Eurasian steppes, from Hazar to Anatolia.

You will see petroglyphs picturing the way of life, traditions, expectations and beliefs of the early Turkic tribes. You will see “tamgas” which were commonly used to identify such things as livestock, harvested goods, and to officialize documents. Every Turkic tribe had their own tamga which could be considered as the tribe’s coat of arms. You will also see examples of old Turkic writing in its early runic script. The most famous of these writings are the Orhun Inscriptions discovered in 1889 in Mongolia and translated in 1893. Translation of these highly significant inscriptions led the way to understanding many other Turkic writings discovered elsewhere and, as such, enabling us to comprehend the Turkic peoples’ history, as well as social and cultural development.

I am confident that this exhibition will be both absorbing and enlightening for not only experts and connoisseurs, but also for the general public wishing to learn more about Turkic history and of Turkic peoples.

We hope to host the originals of them one day. Thank you.