The opening of the world's largest "Gypsy Girl" mosaic replica, which was created in one piece and attracts attention with its dimensions, was held at Hacettepe University Library.
The opening ceremony of the world's largest "Gypsy Girl" mosaic replica prepared in Gaziantep, using 27 thousand natural stones collected from the banks of the Euphrates, made in one piece measuring 3.81 by 7.65 meters, was held in front of the library building of Beytepe Campus on October 5. The ceremony was attended by the administrators of Hacettepe University, Gaziantep Governor Davut Gül, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin, Head of Department of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Bülbül, Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Abdullah Tancan, Ministry of Culture and Tourism Advisor Hakan Tanrıöver, Deputy Head of Defense Industries Presidency. Harun Çelik, former state ministers Vehbi Dinçerler and Abdülkadir Ateş, 27th Term Gaziantep Deputy Dr. Ali Muhittin Taşdoğan, 26th Term Gaziantep Deputy Canan Candemir Çelik, administrators from Gazi Kültür A.Ş. and the artists of the work Mehmet Yılmaz and Nazmiye Mr. Nar attended.
Fatma Şahin, who made the opening speech of the ceremony, stated that Hacettepe is a brand and the wholesale quality that good students come from and said, “We need Hacettepe and the trained manpower of Hacettepe. In the 100th anniversary of the Republic, regardless of our party and lifestyle, we want a Turkey that has solved its problems, and a beautiful world to leave to our children. Let's build the new century together, where people who know are increased and our students create a greater synergy than this. This mosaic, which you will see shortly, came about when all the colors came together. There are mosaics everywhere, but the difference of Gaziantep mosaic, which is a city of mosaics, is its color variety and depth. I would like to thank the team that quickly made this mosaic, the esteemed governor who prepared the infrastructure, and the Rector of Hacettepe University, who gave this opportunity, and wish Hacettepe good luck.” he said.
Hacettepe University Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Cahit Güran also gave a speech and told the story of the creation of the work. Güran said, “After the authorities who came to my visit in the first month of my appointment as the rector, said that there is a Gypsy Girl mosaic on our library and it was spilled in a storm, we decided to have this mosaic made again. While we were searching, we learned that this subject has a place and value in the minds of our students as well. The Gypsy Girl was not only a motif of Gaziantep, but also a motif of our university and our country. Therefore, it was important to bring this work back to life. With the effect of the covid process, we could not get results from our attempts for a solution for a while. My dear friend, I met with Hakan Tanrıöver from the Ministry of Culture and explained the situation. He also made the necessary organization immediately and solved this issue in a short time” and summarized the issue. Güran expressed his thoughts on the work as follows: “There are many works in which faces are depicted, but none of them follow you with that face or eyes. There is only one exception to this: "Gypsy Girl". I think this work, made entirely of natural stones, is the most valuable mosaic in the world, apart from the original one in the Zeugma museum. I would like to thank all Gaziantep public for their support.”
After the speeches, a certificate of appreciation was presented to the artists of the work, Mehmet Yılmaz and Nazmiye Sayın Nar.
