Art, which is a part of life from the animal figures drawn in caves to the present, has always played a great role in the development of people and societies. Children who grow up with art turn into happy, spiritually strong, imaginative and abstract-thinking individuals. Aiming to make art an important part of the daily life of Northern Cyprus with this philosophy, the Near East Enterprises Museums continue to bring children together with art by opening their doors to the students of primary, secondary and high schools in the TRNC.

In the cultural tours held in February and March, approximately 500 students from Değirmenlik Primary School, Haspolat Primary School, Şehit Tuncer Primary School, Alayköy Primary School, Gelibolu Primary School, Güzelyurt Kurtuluş High School, Güzelyurt Kurtuluş Secondary School, Meral Vedat Ertüngü Secondary School, Sedat Simavi Industrial Vocational High School and Esin Leman High School students visited the Cyprus Museum of Modern Art, Cyprus Car Museum, Cyprus Herbarium and Natural History Museum, Walled City Museum, Günsel Art Museum and Near East University Grand Library.

At the event, which will continue in April, 500 more students from Hamitköy Dr. Fazıl Küçük Primary School, Canbulat Primary School, Atatürk Primary School, Alayköy Primary School and Bekirpaşa High School will visit the Near East Enterprises Museums. Thus, a thousand students studying in schools in the TRNC will be more acquainted with the inspiring power of art.

Students spent hours full of art, culture and science!
Visiting the Cyprus Museum of Modern Arts, which is the largest contemporary art museum not only in Cyprus but also in the region with over 50 thousand works of art, students closely examined a rich collection of paintings and sculptures made by artists belonging to 14 Turkish nations. In addition, many collections, from ship models to glassware and sword collections, provided entertaining moments for visitors, most of whom were primary school students. The Cyprus Car Museum, located on the Near East University campus, has become one of the museums where children spend the most time with its rich automobile collection as well as toys made from various machine parts, model car collection, pedal cars, Batman and transformers figures and many more.

At the Herbarium and Natural History Museum, students had the opportunity to examine 11 thousand different plant specimens, mushroom varieties, insect species, various reptile species, sea creatures, fossils and rocks, and the mountain history of Cyprus under one roof.

Visiting the Walled City Museum, the children admired many collections reflecting the cultural identity and history of Cyprus, as well as various historical events depicted on the ceilings of the museum, such as the Ottoman Empire’s conquest of Nicosia and the arrival of the British in Larnaca.

Visiting the GÜNSEL Art Museum in Dereboyu, the students, on the one hand, visited a rich collection of paintings and sculptures consisting of the works of artists belonging to 14 Turkish nations, on the other hand, they also examined GÜNSEL, the national car of the TRNC.

The students, who also visited the Near East University Grand Library, which contains hundreds of thousands of books, had the opportunity to examine the Dardanelles Naval War Ships collection with interest.

Prof. Dr. Ali Efdal Özkul: “The excitement and happiness we see in our children’s eyes will be our greatest inspiration as we enrich the collections in our museums.”
Emphasizing that the Near East Enterprises aim to make culture and art an indispensable part of daily life with the museums, Prof. Dr. Ali Efdal Özkul said, “It was a great pleasure and experience for us to host our children studying in different schools of our country in our museums and introduce them to the magic of art.”

Thanking the administrators and teachers of the schools participating in the cultural tour they organized, Prof. Dr. Ali Efdal Özkul said, “The excitement and happiness we see in our children’s eyes will be the biggest inspiration for us as we enrich the collections in our museums.”

Reminding that the TRNC citizens can visit the Near East Enterprises Museums free of charge, Prof. Dr. Özkul said, “All students studying at the Near East Enterprises schools and those working at the Enterprises’ institutions can visit the Cyprus Museum of Modern Arts, the Cyprus Car Museum, the Cyprus Herbarium and Natural History Museum and the City Museum of the Walled City free of charge. In addition, students studying in the TRNC and those under the age of 18 who are tourists in the TRNC can visit all museums with a 50% discount.”