TOKYO - The exhibition of ''Three Great Civilizations in Turkey'' will be displayed in several cities of Japan under ''2003 Turkey Year'' activities. Nearly 200 historical works belonged to Hittite, Byzantine and Ottoman eras including a worldwide famous dagger, which was decorated with emeralds, will be displayed in the exhibition.
Holding a press conference, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum Curator Yoshitake Mamuro said on Thursday that Turkey had been cradle of many civilizations since it took place in a junction between the western and eastern cultures.
The Exhibition of Three Great Civilizations in Turkey aims at bringing together works of three great civilizations in the history of Anatolia and promoting them to Japanese people.
The exhibition is expected to become the most important activities of ''2003 Turkey Year'' in Japan.
Nearly 200 historical artifacts will be collected from 14 separate museums including Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul Archaeology Museum, Anatolian Civilizations Museum, Turkish-Islam Museum and Izmir Archaeology Museum, and displayed in the exhibition.
One of the most important artifacts to take place in the exhibition is the Emerald Dagger.
The dagger was made by Ottoman Sultan Mahmud I to be presented to Nadir Shah of Iran as a gift. On May 11, 1747, Sultan Mahmud I sent an embassy with valuable gifts including the dagger to Nadir Shah. About the time the Turkish embassy crossed the Iranian border, news reached them that Nadir Shah had been assassinated in his headquarters at Fethabad. With nothing left to do, Ahmed Pasha, the leader of the embassy, decided to return immediately so as to prevent the gifts from being plundered. All the gifts which they had brought with them were handed over to the Ottoman Treasury.
The dagger is 35 centimeters long. On one side of the sheath, there are large, clear emeralds the size of pigeon's eggs, and it is for this reason that it has become famous as the ''Emerald Dagger''. The emeralds are surrounded with diamonds. At the point of the handle, there is an octagonal cover of emerald, which reveals a small watch when lifted. The cover and the handle are decorated with enamel and diamonds. The dagger's sheath, made of gold, has a separate beauty and richness of its own. The enameled flowers and diamonds each constituting a separate motif dazzle the eye. At the lightly turned end of the sheath is a large emerald.
Earlier, the dagger was displayed in the United States. It was the theme of an American film ''Topkapi'' made in 1964.
The dagger is considered one of treasures symbolizing power of the Ottoman Empire.
The exhibition will take place in Tokyo Metropolitan Museum between August 2 and September 28, in Fukuoka between October 12 and December 7 and in Osaka between December 20 and February 16.
(UK-AÖ) 15.05.2003