Few days left for terracottas

ISTANBUL

Only five of the famous Chinese Terracotta Army sculptures are being displayed at Topkapı Palace.

The exhibition displaying the famous Chinese Terracotta Army sculptures, part of UNESCO’s World Heritage List, continues at Istanbul’s Topkapı Palace. Those who have not yet visited the show have until Feb. 20, the last day of the exhibition. 

The exhibition, titled “Chinese Treasures,” also displays artwork from 11 important Chinese museums including the Forbidden City Museum, Shanghai Museum and Qin Shihuang Museum. 

The Terracotta Army, also known as the “Terracotta Warriors and Horses,” is a form of funerary art that was buried with Qin Shi Huang in 210-209 B.C. for the purpose of protecting the emperor in the afterlife.

The figures, dating from the third century B.C., were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in the Lintong District of Xi’an in Shaanxi province.

One of the notable features of the Terracotta Army soldiers is that each has different hair style. The shortest sculpture is approximately 1.7 meters and the tallest one is 1.9 meters, the real height of soldiers during the Qin dynasty.