The Minister of Culture and Information Abdulaziz Khoja will officially launch the event at the King Fahd Cultural Center, along with Turkish Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Nihat Gul and Turkish Ambassador Ahmet Muhtar Gun, among others.
Salik Ozar, the director of the Turkish Tourism and Cultural Office in the Kingdom, told Arab News the event would last for two days in Riyadh from Sunday and then move to Jeddah on Tuesday for another two days.
“These cultural days in the Kingdom comes in response to the Saudi cultural days in Turkey that took place in both Ankara and Istanbul last year, and will present to Saudis a rich dose of Turkish culture composed of exhibitions, lectures, music, dances and food,” he said.
“Also, these days form part of the memorandum of understanding concerning cooperation in culture and tourism signed in 2008 between the Turkish Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information and the Saudi Commission of Tourism and Antiquities in the Kingdom.”
Ozar said an exhibition that forms part of the event would include three galleries containing the work of Turkish photographers and artists.
The first will exhibit 20 photos from Mustafa Aqsai of mosques, castles and buildings designed by prominent Turkish architect Sinan.
The second will feature photos of giant historical mosques in Istanbul and other Turkish cities taken by Burhan Dugut. The third will display some paintings depicting Ottoman Turkey’s achievements.
Ozar said that the event would also include lectures by Turkish university professors on literary and cultural ties between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, particularly focusing on the Ottoman period in the Hejaz region.
Turkish artisans will also present various traditional arts and crafts. “Furthermore, there will be bands playing famous traditional Turkish music, besides folk dances that reflect the lifestyle and culture in various regions of Turkey.
Also, major traditional Turkish food will be served to visitors. We have brought in a team of top Turkish chefs working at major hotels to prepare the food, “ Ozar pointed out.
Ozar hoped that the events would encourage Saudis to consider spending their summer vacation in Turkey, revealing that his country hopes to attract 100,000 tourists from the Kingdom this year, compared to 70,000 last year.
“The campaign involves participating in the Riyadh International Exhibition of Tourism in June, where 15 tourism and travel agencies and hotels will offer specially designed tourism packages for Saudis wishing to spend summer in conservative Turkish regions that match their needs,” Ozar said.
