The Turkish Government announced 2018 “the year of Troy” to commemorate the 20th anniversary of enlisting the old city of Canakkale on the UNESCO world heritage.
This year will see the opening of the new Troy museum in the western Turkish province of Canakkale.
The event is expected to attract one million tourists in its first year, including many Hollywood celebrities invited by the Turkish government to attend the opening. The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism invited Hollywood stars who acted in the 2004 movie Troy. They include Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger and Eric Bana.
The museum, which is built over 10.000 sqm and cost $13.2 million, features discoveries from the old city, as well as 24 gold pieces, known as the treasures of Troy, which were returned to Turkey from the United States after 125 years.
The museum blends modern and ancient architecture, and the designs found on its exterior roof will reflect the architectural grandeur of classical antiquity.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has also planned to hold several events to celebrate Troy Year, including war simulations, symposiums and performances at the State Opera and Ballet.
The Troy international sports event is expected to lure athletes from all over the world to compete in various events at the city's historic site.
UNESCO added the ancient city of Troy on its list of world cultural heritage sites in 1998 as the historical arena of the Greek Trojan War, which was described in details in the epic poem "Iliad".
Four thousand years ago, not far from the site of the Trojan battle, the Ottoman army managed during World War I to repel British and French forces in the Gallipoli Campaign or the battle of “the Canakkale Fort” as it was called in Turkey in 1915.
The battle site is a major tourist attraction, drawing in hundreds of thousands of people from around the world.
