he 16-Piece collection of original artifacts registered in the inventory of the TRNC National Archive and Research Department will meet the public for the first time at the Walled City Museum. The works will be open to visitors for 3 months from December 29th.

With the cooperation protocol signed by the Near East Enterprises Museums Department with the TRNC National Archives and Research Department under the Presidency of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on December 23, 2020, many original historical artifacts and artworks that shed light on the history of Cyprus will meet with the public for the first time at the Walled City Museum.

The first collection, which includes very special works on the history and culture of Cyprus and Nicosia, was delivered to be exhibited at the Walled City Museum for 3 months from December 29th. Among the original works that will come to light for the first time are gold leaf manuscripts, edicts up to 1.5 meters in length, and the 387-year-old Ottoman Mülkname (Land Registry) signed by IV. Murat, photos, birth registers, maps and court records. The works, which will be exhibited at the Walled City Museum for 3 months, will be open to visitors until the end of March. The works will then be delivered to the TRNC National Archives and Research Department and a new collection will be received to be exhibited.

The Walled City Museum added a new one to the cooperation protocol signed with the Cyprus Foundations Administration about a month ago, and a new protocol was signed with the TRNC National Archives and Research Department. Thus, the inventory of the Walled City Museum will continue to bring our cultural and historical values to the public for the first time.

Unique original artifacts to be exhibited at Walled City Museum for 3 months
With the cooperation protocol signed between the Near East Enterprises Museums Department and the TRNC National Archive and Research Department, which is affiliated to the TRNC Presidency, the works to be exhibited at the first stage consist of handwritten gold leaf, illuminated Arabic tafsir and philosophy books from the 17th and 18th centuries, court records from the early 20th century, the birth register of Turkish Cypriots living in the Kukla District in 1877-78, the photo of the teachers and students of the school for the hearing impaired from the early 20th century, and the photograph of the students and teachers of the Nicosia High School, the notebooks showing the Evkaf correspondence in Nicosia, the hand drawn plan of the Famagusta train station and the oceanographic map dated 1917 by the hydrographer Admiral Sir Wharton showing the depths in the sea for submarines in the Eastern Mediterranean. Among the certificates to be exhibited, the certificate of appointment of Yovakim (Joakim), one of the Archbishops of Cyprus, dated 16 August 1821, is also important in terms of content. The relevant appointment letter also includes the justification for the execution of Archbishop Konomo Kibriyanos (Kyprianos) and three metropolitans, who were executed on charges of being the planner of the planned rebellion attempt on the island to support the Greek revolt that took place in the Peloponnese in 1821. The length of the said appointment certificate exceeds 1.5 meters. Another certificate to be exhibited is written with the Celi Divani calligraphy, a work belonging to the IV. Murat's term. The most striking aspect of this 387-year-old document is the magnificence of its signature. In addition, the aforementioned Mülkname (Land Registry) is among the oldest Ottoman-era certificates that have survived in Cyprus.

Dr. Ejdan Sadrazam: "Thanks to the protocol we signed with the Near East University, we have had the opportunity to share our archival material with our people in a contemporary environment."
Emphasizing that the TRNC National Archive and Research Department attaches importance to sharing historical values with the Turkish people of Cyprus in line with the mission of "accumulating our past for the future", the TRNC Presidency National Archive and Research Department Director Dr. Ejdan Sadrazam said, “Thanks to the protocol we signed with Near East University today, we have had the opportunity to share our archival material with our people in a contemporary environment. We are waiting for all our people to our exhibition, which we believe will be proud and happy with our history”.

Prof. Dr. Ali Efdal Özkul: "The Walled City Museum will continue to bring the Turkish Cypriot history to light"
Head of Near East Enterprises Museums Department Prof. Dr. Ali Efdal Özkul underlined that they will continue to bring the Turkish Cypriot history into the attention of the public with the protocols they signed with the TRNC National Archives and Research Department and the Cyprus Foundations Administration and said, "The Walled City Museum will continue to bring the Turkish Cypriot history to light." Reminding that the exhibition to be opened will not be permanent, Prof. Dr. Ali Efdal Özkul invited the people of TRNC to the Walled City Museum so that they would not miss the opportunity to see the works that will be exhibited for the first time. The exhibition will be open to visitors for three months.