“Exploring the World of Insurance”

March 10, 2009, Time: 6:30 p.m.

A panel discussion titled “Exploring the World of Insurance” will be held on Tuesday, March 10, 2009, at 6:30 p.m. to complement the exhibition “What Hurts the Purse Hurts the Soul: Insurance in the Ottoman Empire with Documents from the Collection of David Kohen,” –  still on view at the Otoman Bank Museum. Prof. Asaf Savaş Akat and David M. Kohen will be attending the panel which examines the emergence of insurance in the world, its arrival to the Ottoman Empire, and its impact on Republican Turkey.

Concerning the event, Prof. Edhem Eldem, consultant for the exhibition, said the following: “We are offering complementary activities and events in conjunction with the exhibition, which was realized through the initiative and support of Allianz. Thanks to a heterogeneous population structure encompassing a great variety of religions and cultures, the Ottoman Empire provides a perfect setting for a sociological analysis of the insurance industry. The exhibition thus sheds light on the growth of insurance in Turkey and in the world by tracing its evolution as a parallel process to the history of world civilization.”
Curated by Assist. Prof. Murat Koraltürk with the assistance of Fatih Kahya and designed by Bülent Erkmen, the exhibition has attracted large numbers of both Turkish and foreign visitors since it opened on January 28. In response to the high interest it has generated, the exhibition has been prolonged for a week and will now close on March 22, 2009. It is open to the public every day from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.