site.btaEU-funded Turkish Institute of Archaeology, Cultural Heritage to Be Inaugurated in Gaziantep

The Turkish Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage will be inaugurated at an official ceremony in the city of Gaziantep on Wednesday. The institute is established with the support of the European Union. Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, Head of the EU Delegation to Türkiye, will attend the opening, the delegation told BTA.

The ceremony will also be attended by Gaziantep Wali Kemal Çeber, Gaziantep Mayor Fatma Şahin, as well as by representatives of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The total cost of the project is EUR 8,355,730, with EU funding amounting to EUR 6,706,236. It was implemented by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism in cooperation with Gaziantep Municipality and with the help of some 450 scientists and experts.

The EU Delegation to Türkiye said that the main objective of the project was to improve intercultural dialogue between Türkiye and the EU by preserving and promoting their common cultural heritage. The institute will also research on the history and culture of the Turkish language and Islamic archaeology. International cooperation between scholars will be promoted through the project.

The project also aims to provide access to the archaeological and historical works of the ancient Anatolian civilizations by collecting, preserving and promoting the common values and common cultural heritage of the EU and Türkiye.

The institute includes an archaeometry laboratory, a specialized archaeology library, a turkology library, an exhibition and conference hall and offices.