Seeds and Metaphors
The Art of Weights and Measures Exhibition Tour

Guided Tour

May 31, 2024 / 18:30

Although the act of weighing was quite simple in itself, trying to formulate the units for measuring was conceptual and complex. The ancient Mesopotamian civilizations laid the foundations of the units of weight based on barley seeds as a result of their daily practices. Ancient Egyptians, on the other hand, used the metaphor of weighing the souls of the deceased to cross the boundaries of everyday life and make sense of life after death. Understanding what cannot be measured was a difficult task, even thousands of years ago.

The guided exhibition tour explores the four-thousand-year social and economic history of Anatolia, focusing on metaphors shaped around the concepts of weight and measurement. Participants also have the opportunity to see the objects that are not displayed in the exhibition.

The 45-minute guided tour is free of charge, and the language is Turkish. The quota is limited. To join the tour, you can make a reservation via resepsiyon@peramuzesi.org.tr e-mail address.

Temporary Exhibition

The Art of Weights and Measures

As the measurement of discovery became the substance of myths, weighing and measuring, beyond being mere physical actions, became an important means of self-expression to those captivated by the universe and what lay beyond the boundaries of knowledge. 

The Art of Weights and Measures

Today's Stories: Cihangir <br>Özge Baykan Calafato

Today's Stories: Cihangir
Özge Baykan Calafato

Inspired by the exhibition Istanbuls TodayToday's Stories series continues with Özge Baykan Calafato's story "Cihangir"! This series gathers short stories written by authors encouraged by the photographs in the exhibition.

The Welcoming of Venetian Balios to Ottoman Lands

The Welcoming of Venetian Balios to Ottoman Lands

The series of paintings depicting the audience ceremonies of European ambassadors hold a unique place among the works of Jean-Baptiste Vanmour of Valenciennes, who lived in İstanbul from 1699 until his death in 1737.

Chlebowski’s Sultan

Chlebowski’s Sultan

This is one of Stanisław Chlebowski’s larger canvasses dealing with themes other than battles; only Ottoman Life at the Sweet Waters now at the Istanbul Military Museum can compare with it in size.