From 7 to 11 May 2025, the capital city of Ankara hosted a landmark cultural event: the inaugural International Islamic Arts Fair, held at the ATO Congresium.

The fair drew artists, cultural figures, and thousands of visitors, showcasing the aesthetic depth and spiritual significance of Islamic artistic traditions through exhibitions, workshops, and public events.

Organised jointly by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), the fair marked a national first in its scale and ambition.

Opening the fair, First Lady Emine Erdogan delivered a moving speech emphasising the spiritual underpinnings and moral foundations of Islamic art.

“The aim of Islamic art is not merely to produce beauty, but to encounter the divine through it,” she said at the event. “These works carry the scent of the sacred and draw our souls toward it.”

The event featured traditional art forms such as calligraphy (husnuhat), illumination (tezhip), Turkish art of marbling (ebru), ceramics, miniature painting, and kat’i art—an intricate Ottoman-era paper cutting technique now enjoying a quiet revival.

Quoting poet Necip Fazil Kisakurek’s famous verse: “Art is the search for God; the rest is mere play”. The First Lady described Islamic art as a bridge between the visible world and transcendent truth.

“Traditional arts are not just decoration; they are ethical, spiritual, and civilizational expressions,” she said, addressing the attendees at the event. “When we see an artwork born of a refined Muslim heart, our spirits take flight.”

She called for safeguarding of these art forms from disappearing due to neglect and emphasised the urgent need of passing their beauty on to future generations and across borders.

 At the event, the First Lady was joined by several senior officials, including Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas, and Religious Affairs President Ali Erbas.

Cultural investment

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy echoed these sentiments on preservation of art by the First Lady. He highlighted the national and international importance of the fair in an interview with TRT World:

“Islamic arts are the expression of deep faith, patience, and elegance. We are not only preserving them—we are reviving them, giving them a voice in the present,” he says. 

Ersoy also emphasised the Ministry's extensive efforts in cultural repatriation, noting that thousands of stolen artifacts have been returned to Türkiye, and that the country is now regarded as a global leader in archaeology and museology.

“This fair is more than a tribute to the past; it is a promise for the future,” he adds. “We are committed to keeping these arts alive.”

He underscored the fair’s dual purpose: preservation and revitalisation. 

Innovation within tradition

The exhibition featured 41 works by 24 distinguished calligraphers, arranged in a chronological narrative. It included masterpieces by historical figures such as Hattat Hafiz Osman Efendi, Sultan Mahmud II, and Sultan Ahmed III, alongside contemporary artists like Mehmet Ozcay, Ali Toy, and Ferhat Kurlu, reflecting the evolution of calligraphy from classical roots to modern interpretation.

Among the emerging talents featured was Nida Ozbenim, a young Istanbul-born artist known for her work in tezhip and kat’i.

“When I was invited by Diyanet to participate, I was overjoyed to learn that kat’i would be featured internationally for the first time,” Ozbenim tells TRT World. “I showcased both my tezhip and kat’i works. The response exceeded all expectations.”

A graduate of Marmara University and an alumna of Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University, Ozbenim has played a key role in reviving kat’i—an art form involving the intricate cutting of paper or leather into floral motifs, geometric patterns, and calligraphic shapes. She now teaches the craft in-person and online.

Dating back to the 15th century, kat’i was once used to embellish manuscripts, book bindings, and calligraphic panels. Though long overlooked, the technique is undergoing a quiet resurgence thanks to artists like Ozbenim, who blend historical fidelity with contemporary design.

Fairgoers were able to experience kat’i alongside more widely recognised art forms, affirming the fair’s ambition to present both the legacy and the evolving future of Islamic aesthetics.

“For many visitors, this was their first time seeing kat’i art up close. It was incredibly moving to meet people who had followed my work online and came just to meet me in person,” she adds.

As the fair concluded, its relevance and significance became clear: this was more than an exhibition, but a cultural reawakening, where tradition conversed with innovation, divine met the devoted, through the universal language of art.

In Ozbenim’s words, the fair is a "much-needed platform" for rising artists. She expressed hope that similar events would expand internationally.

“There is real global interest in traditional Islamic arts,’ she says. “Exhibitions like this help young artists like us build bridges, find audiences, and keep our heritage alive.”