Umit Yardym: "There is a metaphysical side of Istanbul, which can be grasped only after hearing it"

An exhibition of Turkish photos of the XIX century 'I'm listen to Istanbul, my eyes closed' from Pavel and Anastasia Khoroshilova collection opened in Moscow 'Multimedia Art Museum'. Turkish Ambassador to Russia Umit Yardym shared his impressions of the exhibition with Vestnik Kavkaza.

- Tell us about your impression of the exhibition. 

- There are two aspects of today's event. The first one, of course, is Istanbul itself - a city that has a special place in the life of every Turkish citizen, no matter where he is. This city matches the state of mind of any Turkish citizen. We do our best to make this city even more beautiful. Recently we opened bridge, which connects the European and Asian parts of Istanbul. Sure, our world has a lot of beautiful cities, but we always say that Istanbul has a special place in the world, and we emphasize this with a great pride. 

The second aspect - we attach great importance to the development of relations with Russia in the field of culture, art, public life. We welcome such events, we are ready to actively support them, and we are very grateful to the Russian side for its contribution to the development of our relations. 

- This exhibition is called 'I listen to Istanbul, my eyes closed'. What can you hear in Istanbul?

- I'm very grateful to my friends for this name of the exhibition. A lot of good things can be said about Istanbul, but everyone should know that this city is fantastic. Orhan Veli probably thought that this city is magical when he wrote these lines. Words are not enough to understand, to grasp the beauty of Istanbul. There is a metaphysical side of Istanbul, which can be grasped only after hearing it. We can grasp the spirit of this city only by closing our eyes, only by feeling this city. The name of this exhibition reflect emotional connection of any Turkish citizen with this beautiful city. In other words, we close our eyes, but at the same time we open our hearts, confess our love to this city.

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I listen to Istanbul, my eyes closed:
First, a light wind blowing
A soft wind swaying
The leaves in the trees,
And far off in the distance
The tinkling cups of the water-seller;
I listen to Istanbul, my eyes closed.
I listen to Istanbul, my eyes closed:
Now the birds are passing
In high clamoring flocks,
Nets are pulled in at the fisheries,
A woman's feet graze the water;
I listen to Istanbul, my eyes closed.
I listen to Istanbul, my eyes closed: 
The cool covered bazaar,
Mahmutpasha, the courtyards
Filled with warbling pigeons,
Hammer sounds from the docks,
Smells of sweat in my lovely Spring wind;
I listen to Istanbul, my eyes closed.
I listen to Istanbul, my eyes closed:
An old world drunk in its head,
A waterfront palace with a dark boat shed,
The humming of the lodos ceases inside;
I listen to Istanbul, my eyes closed.
I listen to Istanbul, my eyes closed:
A pretty young girl walks by
Chased by taunts, come-ons and curses, 
Something falls from my hand—
Surely a rose;
I listen to Istanbul, my eyes closed.
I listen to Istanbul, my eyes closed:
A bird is fluttering in your skirts,
Your brow is hot, I know,
Your lips are wet, I know, I know,
A white moon rises behind the pistachio trees—
I understand the pounding of your heart;
I listen to Istanbul, my eyes closed. 

Orhan Veli Kani