Uzbekistan’s Historical Artifacts Featured for the First Time at Hungarian National Museum
February 01, 2026. 15:00 • 2 min
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BUDAPEST, February 1. /Dunyo IA/. The Hungarian National Museum officially opened the international exhibition “Attila - King of the Huns: Legend and Reality”, featuring, for the first time in the museum’s history, artefacts related to Uzbekistan, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.
The exhibition showcases unique archaeological items, including the Orlat Plates from the Institute of Art Studies of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan. These early medieval silver reliefs, dating to the 4th-5th centuries CE, depict battle scenes, hunting, and mounted warriors, providing valuable insight into the military, social, and artistic culture of Central Asia during the Hunnic period. The Orlat Plates serve as a central motif of the exhibition.
The exhibition, one of the largest museum projects in recent years, features around 400 artefacts from 64 museums across 13 countries, covering 1,600 years of the perception of Attila - from the Hunnic era to modern interpretations in Eastern, Western, and Hungarian contexts. Highlights include jewellery, weapons, ritual items, and examples of artificial skull deformation from the Carpathian Basin to Central Asia, with loans from the British Museum and Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The opening ceremony was attended by Minister of Culture and Innovation of Hungary Balázs Hankó, TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev, President of the Turkic Academy Shahin Mustafayev, and diplomats from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, among others.
In remarks, Minister Balázs Hankó emphasized that Attila is seen as a hero in Eastern and Central Europe, bridging East and West, while Secretary General Sultan Raev highlighted the exhibition as a manifestation of the shared historical memory of the Turkic world. A scientific-practical conference was held as part of the exhibition, featuring presentations by Uzbek researchers Djangar Ilyasov and Farhod Maksudov.
The exhibition, open from January 23 to July 12, 2026, will include conferences, panels, book presentations, film screenings, educational programs, and musical events. This marks the first time Uzbek cultural-historical artefacts have been presented at such a high level in Hungary and represents the first joint exhibition organized by Turkic states, promoting cultural unity.
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