Culture Ministry announces Special Awards recipients

ANKARA

This year's winners of the Culture and Tourism Ministry Special Awards, which have been presented for 44 years, are the Association for the Survival and Development of Anatolian Handicrafts (Anelsander), the İbrahim Alimoğlu Music Museum and the Sadberk Hanım Museum.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced the names deemed worthy of the award on his social media accounts, saying: “The most prestigious award of our ministry found its owners. I would like to thank our institutions that contribute to the culture and art world of our country for their work, and I congratulate all three of the culture and art institutions that were deemed worthy of the '2023 Culture and Tourism Ministry Special Awards.'”

The awards, which are presented to appreciate and encourage the work by institutions that successfully represent culture and arts in Türkiye nationally and internationally, were determined by a jury led by Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Batuhan Mumcu and consists of Deputy Minister Serdar Çam, General Director of Fine Arts Ömer Faruk Belviranlı, General Director of Research and Education Selim Terzi, General Director of State Theaters Tamer Karadağlı, General Director of State Opera and Ballet Bedri Tan Sağtürk and Rector of Ankara Music and Fine Arts University Professor Erhan Özden.

Anelsander, which stands out with its pioneering work in the field of traditional handicrafts throughout the country, was deemed worthy of the award for its activities as well as for being inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

The İbrahim Alimoğlu Music Museum, which is Türkiye's first and largest in its field and is among the top 10 in the world and Europe, was deemed worthy of an award for efforts and initiatives in the field of culture and art.

The Sadberk Hanım Museum was also awarded for being Türkiye's first private museum and setting a successful example of contemporary museology practices with its restoration and conservation workshop, as well as its rich collection that is carefully preserved over a wide area.

The awards have been presented every year since 1979 in the fields of Turkish history, literature, language, plastic arts, architecture, archaeology, music and performing arts, folklore, theater, opera and ballet, art history, photography, cinema, librarianship and museology.