Hungary unveils bust of Yunus Emre, symbol of friendship with Türkiye

At a ceremony held at the Hungarikum Ligette Museum, a bust of Yunus Emre, symbolizing the friendship of Turkish and Hungarian cultures, was unveiled

As part of the 2024 Turkish-Hungarian Year of Culture, the bust made by Hungarian artist Gyorgyi Lantos in memory of the mystic and poet Yunus Emre was inaugurated in Kecskemet, Hungary.

The opening ceremony, which was hosted by Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament Sandor Lezsak in cooperation with the Lakitelek Foundation and Yunus Emre Institute (YEE). It was attended by 29th Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Mustafa Sentop, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Budapest Gulsen Karanis Eksioglu, Commissioner of the Turkish-Hungarian Cultural Year Peter Hoppal, Deputy State Secretary of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Henrietta Balajthy, President of the Turkish Friendship Group in the Hungarian Parliament Attila Tilki and Director of YEE Budapest Mustafa Aydogdu among others.

Lezsak expressed pleasure in hosting the unveiling of the bust of Yunus Emre, the most important Turkish poet and mystic of the 13th century.

Lezsak said, “Yunus Emre’s messages of love, tolerance and brotherhood are still valid today. This bust will be a permanent symbol of friendship and cultural exchange between the two countries.”

Noting that Hungarikum Ligette is also a school, Lezsak said that they will soon start Turkish lessons here.

Eksioglu pointed out that the town of Lakitelek, where the Hungarikum Ligette Museum is located, has already become an important meeting point not only for the precious treasures of Hungarian culture but also for the cultural values of the Turkish world.

Eksioglu expressed happiness at the statue of Yunus Emre, emphasizing his significance in Turkish language and civilization. They also noted Türkiye’s practice of naming cultural centers abroad after Yunus Emre, similar to Hungary’s naming of centers after poet Balint Balassi and composer Liszt Ferenc.

Stating that there are currently 85 YEE centers in 65 countries promoting the Turkish language, culture and art, Eksioglu said, “Yunus Emre’s values of love, tolerance and humanity are among the common values of both peoples. This bust is an important symbol that will convey his philosophy and the universality of his poems to future generations.”

Sentop said he was very happy to be present at this ceremony, which was organized as a concrete indicator of Türkiye-Hungary friendship. He also said that Yunus Emre used the Turkish language in a very beautiful and effective way, inviting people to what is good and beautiful and giving universal messages encompassing humanity in his poems.

After the speeches, a concert of Yunus Emre’s poems in Turkish and Hungarian was organized by Hungarian folk music singer Tilla Torok and her band, who learned Turkish at YEE Budapest.

Source: Newsroom