Thank you to everyone involved in our Ottoman Stone on Tour programme this summer!
As our Ottoman Stone Summer Tour comes to a close this week, we’d like to thank everyone for their involvement in this and for joining us at the various locations to soak up the mysterious history of this incredible stone.
Since the stone was discovered in our Collection, our team knew that there was so much to uncover from this incredible object. How did an Ottoman gravestone come to be in the collection? And how did it reach Greenwich in the first place?
With the help of the amazing team at Greenwich University and Captivate Greenwich, we have been able to not only uncover the history of the stone and it’s owner but also create a perfect replica of the stone so that it could be transported easily for people to experience this piece of history up close.
One of the challenges we often face with our Collection is the fragility and weight of many items restricts them from being easily seen by the public. By creating a perfect 3D printed replica of the stone, we were able to showcase this piece of Greenwich’s history to the public, allow them to see it up close and even touch it. As a charity, one of our key objectives is to provide access to the history of the Borough and projects such as this are a perfect example of how we can achieve this.
Hundreds of people from across the Borough have joined us on the tour to learn more about the stone and the rich Ottoman History it ties into. As well as being able to see the stone and soak up some history with Mary, our Collections Manager and Dr Michael Talbot from the University of Greenwich, our Education Officer Hilary has also been running a series of creative children’s workshops in libraries across the Borough. After learning about the stone and Ottoman history, the children had a fantastic team creating their own fez hats and learned about how you could identify someone’s position in Ottoman society based on the colour and design of their fez.
Here are some of the fantastic creations from over the summer;
Although the Ottoman Stone on Tour has now come to a close, the stone will be on display in our Heritage Hub at this years’ Horn Fair on the 20th of October. Our Collections and Archive team will also be on hand to answer any questions about the stone and the project. Drop in to experience the stone for yourself and explore the rich history of the Ottoman Empire.
