Photos of displaced children at İshak Paşa Palace

AĞRI

A photo exhibition titled “Zeytindağı Çocukları” (Children of the Mount of Olives), focusing on children affected by war and forced migration — particularly in Palestine and Syria — has been inaugurated with a ceremony at the historical İshak Paşa Palace in the eastern province of Ağrı's Doğubayazıt district.

Photographer and research writer Hilal Bayar photographed children in Palestine under Israeli attacks and in Syria as part of a project she designed for “Nov. 20 World Children’s Rights Day.”

Her exhibition, titled “Children of the Mount of Olives,” consists of photos she took and is now on display in the courtyard of İshak Paşa Palace.

The exhibition features 55 photographs and five charcoal drawings by Palestinian artist Amira Shbair, who illustrates the suffering in her country. It will remain open to visitors until June 10.

The opening ceremony was held with the participation of Doğubayazıt District Governor Murat Ekinci, the wife of Ağrı Governor Mustafa Koç, Neslihan Gül Koç, photographer Bayar and local students, who cut the ribbon together.

Neslihan Gül Koç, the wife of Ağrı Governor Mustafa Koç, said the exhibition was more than a step toward commemorating children torn from life, it also bore witness to a deep wound in humanity’s heart.

“Art is sometimes the most graceful way of mourning, and sometimes of not forgetting,” Koç said. “Each frame in this exhibition tells the story of children caught in the middle of war, forced to flee, losing their families or their childhoods, but still keeping the light of hope alive in their eyes. These children are small hearts waiting to be understood not through borders, maps or politics, but simply as human beings. Being a child means carrying the same innocence, fragility and need for protection, no matter where in the world. This reminds us of a truth we must not forget. Sometimes, art is a scream — silent, but shaking. This exhibition is exactly that: A silent jolt. From today on, the centuries-old walls of İshak Paşa Palace will bear witness to the stories of these children.”

Bayar remarked that the inclusion of Amira’s charcoal drawings in the exhibition was highly meaningful.

Stating that Israel has killed thousands of children in Gaza, Bayar said, “When we are powerless, testimony is needed. Silence comes from acceptance. As someone who could do nothing physically as a human being, I bore witness through my photographs as an artist. In our country, children draw flowers, butterflies, the sun and beautiful things. But when we look at the drawings by our Palestinian siblings, we sadly see that they reflect exactly what they feel. These images bear witness to the pain of our Palestinian children.”

Bayar noted that they had held the exhibition in various cities across Türkiye and would next be exhibiting the photos in Qatar. “Photography is a tool for me. I wasn’t there just to take pictures. As an artist, I aimed to show this brutality to the world. With every exhibition I hold, I see that the number of people killed in the genocide in Palestine continues to increase.”