The museum was introduced to members of the press by Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay on Thursday. Günay said the museum has a 2,500-square-meter exhibition hall. While noting that the museum was constructed by Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, he said they undertook building the museum to coordinate the exhibition of the mosaic collection.
“It was first conceived of as a mosaic museum and a classical [antiquity] museum at the same time. But taking the structure of the building and features of the city of Gaziantep into consideration, we thought it should be just a mosaic museum,” he explained.
The museum, which covers a 30,000 square-meter closed place, includes conference halls and other social facilities. “I believe this museum will have a special place for Turkey. In March and the beginning of April 2008, we laid the foundations for this museum and here we are for the opening early in 2011,” he added.
The minister also noted that Turkey is one of the richest countries in terms of its possession of archeological sources, adding that from Hatay to Van, in the south and east, Turkey is home to what he calls an “incredible” richness. “I believe in the future months, the number of the visitors to this geography will reach tens of millions,” he suggested.
Minister Günay also spoke about one of the most controversial questions in Turkey´s cultural world, the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) in İstanbul, whose fate is hanging in the balance, being argued over by architects and city planners. As the center waits for renovation, Günay said the process regarding the renewal of the center is an “unforgettable reactionary story for Turkey.”
“There is a reaction hanging around like a ghost. This is a campaign against the new, the good or even the better. It is a malevolent campaign. … An amazing project, worth of TL 90 million, presented for the Atatürk Cultural Center fell victim [as a result of opposition to renovations],” he said.
When reminded of the wishes of artists who work at the center, Günay reacted harshly, saying: “This is the kind of approach that ruins Turkey. Some people want to maintain their privileges and areas of protocol [specially designed for them].” He also highlighted that asking for privileges is a social sickness in Turkey.
