Miras, is a

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

by Turkish sculptor

Metin Yurdanur Metin Yurdanur (born 1951) is a sculptor based in Turkey, who was awarded the title State Artist (Turkey), State Artist of Turkey. Early years Yurdanur was born in 1951 in Sivrihisar town of Eskişehir Province in Turkey. He spent his childhood ...

. It is famous for being the first civilian sculpture in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

. The work describes

Nasreddin Hodja Nasreddin () or Nasreddin Hodja (variants include Mullah Nasreddin Hodja, Nasruddin Hodja, Mullah Nasruddin, Mullah Nasriddin, Khoja Nasriddin, Khaja Nasruddin) (1208–1285) is a character commonly found in the folklores of the Muslim world, ...

on a Hittite Chimera.

History

In 1979, the

Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

had initiated "''the project of equipping the city with plastic elements''" and ordered a series of sculptures to decorate different parts of

. Created by several sculptors, including Yurdanur, these works were delivered to the municipality in the same year. Within the scope of this project, the artist's "''Heritage''" was placed in the garden of Ankara Train Station, "''Eller''" was placed in

Abdi İpekçi Park Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center (Etimesgut, Yenimahalle, Çankaya, Keçiören, Altındağ ...

and "''Solidarity''" was placed in a square in Batıkent.

Details

With this sculpture, two important cultural figures belonging to

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

were engraved and it was pointed out that the Anatolian civilisations, that lived on the same land at different times, were the successors and inheritors of each other. In the work, the folk hero Nasreddin Hodja, who is famous for riding his donkey upside down, is depicted riding a winged and double-headed Hittite lion. When glance at the general characteristics of the work, it can be seen that an abstract expression technique is used and the gist wanted to be given is reinforced with references to different elements. The materiality of the sculpture is strengthened with the geometric and sharp details used. The depiction of Nasreddin Hodja on a lion instead of a donkey, on the one hand, builds a bridge between different ages, on the other hand transforms Hodja into a figure of a "voyager travelling in time".

References

{{Reflist Monuments and memorials in Ankara Outdoor sculptures in Ankara