Prof Nurhan Atasoy
ATWB (Association of Turkish Women in Britain) and Madame Esra Bilgiç is to hold a charity event hosted by on Wednesday 14th October at the Turkish Embassy residence to support UN refugees and aid for Syria.
The event which is set to be hosted by Prof Nurhan Atasoy, will be the presentation of The Turkish Ottoman Bathhouse Culture. Registration will begin at 1pm, followed by the presentation at 1.30pm and lunch at 3pm.
Turkish Ottoman Bathhouse Culture history- “The Ottoman bathhouses are the result of the hygiene culture inherited from the Byzantine period, which had continued the Roman tradition of communal bathing. Commonly referred to as “Turkish Baths,” they constitute an example of an interaction between cultures. The bathhouses brought women together in many different occasions comprising important life moments, such as bathhouse days for brides-to-be (gelin), new mothers (Loğusa /kırklama), newly engaged girls, boys going to serve in the army, pre-circumcision (sünnet), votive offering (adak) or mourning (yas). Even though all these special bathhouse days had different purposes their common characteristic was that they ended by musical entertainment and feasting”
Who is Professor Nurhan Atasoy?
Professor Dr. Nurhan Atasoy (born 1934 in Tokat) is a leading Turkish art historian, who is an expert on the history of Ottoman and Islamic art. During her academic career, besides teaching Art History, she has been the head of many departments including the Dean of the Faculty of Letters of Istanbul University for many years. She organized, attended and lectured at many international congresses and symposiums on Turkish and Islamic art throughout the World. She is a resident scholar of the Turkish Cultural Foundation and has been the curator of many national and international exhibitions.
She published over 100 articles and 28 books, amongst them are Iznik: Ottoman Pottery of Turkey with Julian Raby (1989), The Art of Islam, (with Afif Bahnassi), (1990); 1582 Surname-i Hümayun: An Imperial Celebration (1997), Otağı Hümayun: The Ottoman Imperial Tent Complex (2000) and IPEK: Imperial Ottoman Silks and Velvets (2001), and Impressions of Ottoman Culture in Europe: 1453-1699 (2012).
She is the recipient of the Turkish State Award for Superior Achievement and countless international awards for her achievements in the field of Islamic art history including a medal of Pro Merito from the Council of Europe, Strasbourg 1984; TURSAB (Union of Turkish Tourism Agencies), 1989; “, 1994; Ataturk Kultur Merkezi (Ataturk Cultural Centre) Honorary membership, 1999; “Doctor Honoris Causa in Humane Letters” by Bilkent University, 2004; State Award for Superior Achievement” 2006) and several others.
Since 2012 she sits as a permanent guest in Tarihin Arka Odası, a TV program dedicated to history, with journalist Murat Bardakçı and historian Erhan Afyoncu.
Tickets for the event are priced at Price: £45 Members – £50 Non Members
All proceeds will go to the UN Refugee Agency and Turkish Red Crescent Syrian Humanitarian Aid
