Matrakci Nasuh exhibition has US debut in Maryland

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON (AA) - An exhibition titled "16th Century Genius Matrakci Nasuh" opened for the first time in the U.S. on Friday.

The project was designed by the Istanbul Intercultural Art Dialogues Association (İKASD) and carried out under the auspices of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The exhibition is currently at the museum in the Diyanet Center of America's complex in Maryland. It is being hosted by the Washington Embassy of the Republic of Turkey and Religious Affairs Administration.

Attending the opening ceremony, Turkish Ambassador to the U.S. Serdar Kilic praised the exhibition.

"Matrakci Nasuh is an important person who left a great mark on our history, and I am glad to be here today," Kilic said during the opening. "We are talking about a genius who was a polymath, mathematician, teacher, historian, geographer, cartographer, swordmaster, navigator, inventor, painter, farmer and miniaturist."

The exhibition is planned to be held in three continents, nine countries and 10 cities with the support of the Turkish Prime Ministry Promotion Fund, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, UNESCO Turkey National Committee and the Global Communication partner Anadolu Agency.

It opened at its ninth destination, the U.S. state of Maryland, after being held in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital Sarajevo, Serbia’s capital Belgrade, Istanbul and the Antalya G20 Summit in Turkey, Vienna, Austria, Tokyo, Japan, Paris, France, and --Rome, Italy.

It will be showcased at the National Museum of Hungary in Budapest (Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum) as its final stop, following Maryland, from Nov. 22 to December 28.

The exhibition in Maryland can be visited until Oct. 13.

Matrakci Nasuh was a famous Ottoman polymath, writer and knight who produced important books in several fields. He made contributions in the fields of mathematics, geography, history and calligraphy. He also invented a military lawn game called "Matrak", a kind of animation of battle.

Nasuh was also a skilled illuminator and painter working with a group of other artists. He took part in several expeditions and sketched at least the outlines of his documentary paintings of townscapes from life.