Anatolian masks in demand by museums

İZMİR - Anatolia News Agency

This photo shows the ‘Köse - Gelin’ mask, which has been sent to three countries for permanent display. AA photo

Two figures, the “Köse - Gelin” (Köse - Bride) and “Zeybek Başlığı” (Zeibek Cap), which belong to the İzmir Mask Museum and are among the masks that best represent Anatolian culture, will be permanently displayed in Korea, Germany and Belgium. 

The copies of the masks, displayed in the Anatolian Masks section of Turkey’s first and only mask museum, have been sent to the Hohoe Mask Museum in the Korean city of Andongy, the Mask Museum in Germany’s Augsburg and the International Carnival and Mask Museum in Belgium’s Binche. 

İzmir Mask Museum Coordinator Serpil Birsin said that museum representatives had attended the International Mask Art and Culture Organization (IMACO) in 2011 in Indonesia and introduced figures related to Anatolian culture to international museums during the event. 

“Following talks, we received demand for Köse Gelin and Zeybek Başlığı from three leading museums. The masks were donated to museums in Belgium, Germany and Korea. This will contribute to the promotion of both Anatolian culture and our museum to the world,” she said. 

Well-known characters

Birsin said that village theater plays were important in Anatolian culture and Köse and Gelin characters in particular were used in almost all plays. “The play represents the end of a year and the beginning of a new year,” she added. 

Noting that the İzmir Mask Museum had become among the best-known museums in its field, she said: “We are among the first three on an Internet search. We are invited to many international meetings and workshops. We are now preparing to host a 15-day international mask workshop in İzmir in May.”