On the 856^th anniversary of the death of Turkish Sufi Khoja Ahmad Yasawi, Yunus Emre Institute held a commemoration event in Johannesburg, South Africa in cooperation with the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Pretoria.

Ayşegül Kandaş, Ambassador of Turkey in Pretoria, and the Ambassadors of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Malaysia, Pakistan and Palestine in Pretoria as well as diplomats, Turkish Embassy officials and representatives of South African Islamic think-tanks attended the event held at the Turkish Cultural Center of Johannesburg Yunus Emre Institute on March 3, 2022.

Professor Ndikela Mandela, granddaughter of South Africa's first black President Nelson Mandela, and Sherif Pandor, husband of Naledi Pandor, who is the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, also attended the event.

Kazakh Ambassador Kanat Tumiysh and Ayşegül Kandaş, Turkish Ambassador in Pretoria, both gave speeches during the program. The ambassadors of both countries celebrated the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and the Republic of South Africa and between Kazakhstan and Turkey.

Kandaş commemorated Khoja Ahmad Yasawi, the shared value of the Turkish world, and expressed that the Institute had contributed to the friendly relations between the two countries. She also talked about the Institute's activities in the country. Ambassador Kandaş stated that promoting shared culture was important for Turkic Republic embassies, adding, "As the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Pretoria, we are pleased to organize cultural events with other sister embassies in South Africa, especially with the embassies of countries such as Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan."

Professor Ndikela Mandela said in her speech that she visited Turkey in 2019 as part of the "Be Our Guest" program of the Institute. Dr. Mandela expressed her gratitude to the Yunus Emre Institute while speaking about the beauty of Turkey and the Turkish culture.

ESSAY COMPETITION IN MEMORY OF KHOJA AHMAD YASAWI

The essay competition held in memory of Khoja Ahmad Yasawi's 855^th death anniversary was organized by the Embassy of Kazakhstan to South Africa and Yunus Emre Institute among the schools affiliated to the South African Ministry of Education in Pretoria and Johannesburg.

The South African students who ranked in the Khoja Ahmad Yasawi essay competition were presented their awards at the ceremony.

At the end of the program, Ambassador Ayşegül Kandaş presented the work of South African Traditional Turkish Handicrafts trainees at the Institute to Sherif Pandor, husband of South African Minister of Foreign Affairs Naledi Pandor.

Abdulaziz Yiğit, Coordinator of Yunus Emre Institute Turkish Cultural Center in Johannesburg, stated that the event was held to raise awareness in South Africa about Khoja Ahmad Yasawi, the shared value of the Turkish world.

Following the event, participants were served delicacies from Turkish, Kazakh, and South African cuisines.

THE SPIRITUAL CLIMATE OF ANATOLIA GREENED WITH HIM

Khoja Ahmad Yasawi, a Turkish sufi and Islamic scholar who played a significant role in the development of Sufism in Anatolia, was the teacher of many scholars who built the spiritual climate of Anatolia in the 11^th and 12^th centuries.

Khoja Ahmad Yasawi, who ruled the spiritual life of the Turks for centuries and was the founder of the Turkish folk sufism tradition, was a student of Arslan Baba. Dubbed "Pir-i Turkistan" (Leader of Turkestan) and "Hazreti Turkistan", Khoja Ahmad Yasawi made significant contributions to the development and enrichment of the Turkish language and culture with his wisdoms written in the Turkish language. Through his "Wisdoms," which were compiled centuries later under the name "Divine Wisdom," he made it easier for Turks to adopt Islam. "Fakrnâme", "Risâle der Âdâb-ı" and "Risâle der Makâmât-ı Erba" are also among the works of Khoja Ahmad Yasawi.