Acting as surrogates, ceramic ‘ushabti’ figurines meant to accompany Egyptians in their travels and work in the afterlife. Kept in the vaults of Izmir Archaeological Museum for 80 years, they are now on display for the first time in Turkey.
An excavation led by Felix Pirson and assisted by Guler Ates has found Kybele terracotta figurines dating back to two millennia in and around the Bergama site, suggesting the cult of the Anatolian mother goddess was going strong during ancient times.
Etel Adnan, the daughter of a Turkish officer and an Ottoman Greek mother, born in Lebanon with roots in Turkey, France and the US, has a colourful and thorough retrospective at Istanbul’s Pera Museum, called ‘Impossible Homecoming.’