TROYA

Troy is as old as the stories in the Bible.

In the Hisarlık region of Çanakkale, the ancient city of Ilios, known as "Wilusa" in Hittite texts, also gave rise to a very old legend. It is one of the oldest and most well-known stories in human history, where dreams and reality, science and utopia, are intertwined. Western civilization owes a debt to the legend of Troy, a debt it owes to no other cultural heritage. This story, believed to have taken place around 1180 BC, was also etched into the collective memory of humanity by a poet from Anatolia. Immortalized by the poet Homer, who was born in İzmir, through his epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, this story has become one of the most recognized works in world literature. It holds a place of such importance and influence that it is comparable to the holy books, and throughout history, it has become a mysterious adventure that has fascinated historians of all nations.

This fascination, research, and exploration culminated in the work of German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, who brought Troy back to the historical stage and transformed the legend into a tangible history. By relying on intuition and uncovering treasures through arduous journeys, he laid the foundation for modern archaeology. Schliemann taught us: "The voices rising from the ruins are the voices of our past." Those who cannot hear the voices of the past cannot hear the voices of the future. The Anatolian Fire Dance Troupe brings the legend of Troy to life. We are greeting this immortal work of art, three thousand years after it emerged from its homeland. From the Hittite King Tuthalia to Achilles, from Alexander the Great to Roman Emperor Caesar, from Persian King Xerxes to Byzantine Emperor Constantine, from Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, this radiant city has been the dream of world leaders across the ages. The cries rising from the ruins of Troy, and a three-thousand-year-old mystical vision, are being reborn – for all of humanity. In Troy, there is time, there is place, there is love, and there are limitations. It is a feverish endeavor carried out in the shadow of a lost myth, a historical and musical rebellion against a history that has been overlooked.

Mustafa ERDOĞAN
Artistic Director.