Here: Exhibition and Book launch William Dreghorn in Bellapais Crypt

By Heidi Trautmann

An island wide programme was dedicated to this special day celebrated worldwide to bring to the awareness the museums on the island and especially the work done. See the programme which is in Turkish but I explain it here shortly in English:

16-17 May: Zehra Şonya, sculptress, led workshops and lectures for children at the Girne Castle.

18 May: In various museums in Lefke, Nicosia and Güzelyurt, guided tours and lectures.

18 May: Exhibition and book launch ‘William Dreghorn’ in Bellapais Crypt followed by talks on the situation of museums in Turkey and in the TRNC.

The exhibition which was organized by Münevver Tantura, Museum Officer of Kyrenia Castle, was officially opened by Prof. Dr. Müge Şevketoğlu who presented at the same time the new publication of the booklet ‘Bellapais Abbey’ which first appeared in 1984 and is now reprinted as second edition under the copy right of the Department of Antiquities and Museums in the TRNC. Dr. Müge Şevketoğlu, Director of the Centre for Archaeology, Cultural Heritage and Conservation at Cyprus International University, who has known William Dreghorn personally since her childhood is responsible for the reprint.

I have already written about another booklet which is on the Kyrenia Castle, the first one of a series of Dreghorn works of the castles of North Cyprus including Bellapais Abbey, Kyrenia Castle, St. Hilarion, Buffavento and Kantara. http://www.heiditrautmann.com/category.aspx?CID=2446376468#.V0EwxVR96Uk

The original manuscripts are kept at the Kyrenia Castle archives. Dreghorn’s drawings and water colours are on details of the buildings and therefore of great interest not only for the Antiquity Department. The exhibition on the day of presentation contained large prints of the sketches and drawings contained in the booklet on Bellapais Abbey.

The series of talks was opened by the Director of the Antiquity and Museums Department, Fuat Azimli, and the Minister of the Tourism and Environment Ministry Fikri Ataoğlu. Very interesting talks followed on museums in Turkey and the situation of its restoration, conservation and educational programmes accompanied by slide shows: a general overview on all the museums available in Turkey and two presentations by its directors of the Aksaray and Aydin museums. The directors had come for the occasion from Turkey. I was duly impressed, although I have visited many museums in Turkey myself during our travels along its coasts for many years on our sailing boat ‘Early Bird’ as liveaboards and travels across country. The talks were concluded by Dr. Müge Şevketoğlu on the island’s situation which – from the archaeology point of view - is loaded with problems as many of us might have heard.

The guests of this special evening were invited to a cocktail in the beautiful cloister’s inner yard with the nearly full moon out above.