The Turkish tea festival held in Nur Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan, attracted great attention.

Turkish tea and bagels were introduced at the festival organized by the Nur Sultan Yunus Emre Institute (YEI) with the support of the Turkish Embassy in Nur Sultan.

Representatives of foreign missions residing in Nur Sultan also showed great interest in the tea festival under the theme ‘’Come, Let’s Have Tea Together’’.   Ambassador Ufuk Ekici, Vice-Rector Prof. Dihan Kamzabekuly, Nur Sultan Yunus Emre Institute Deputy Director Almagül İsina, Members of Parliament in Kazakhstan Aydos Sarım, Ercan Kudaybergen, Makpal Tacmagambetova, Gani Taşkarayev, Juldız Süleymenova, Amanjan Jamalov, Vakil Nabiyev; Director-General of State Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sagila Nurlanova attended the festival held on March 29, 2022, at the main campus of L.N Gumilyov Eurasian National University. Ambassadors of countries including Poland, Netherlands, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Vatican, diplomats from more than ten countries, and students participated in the event.

Turkish tea festival under the theme ‘’Come, Let’s Have Tea Together’’ started with speeches of Ambassador to Kazakhstan Ufuk Ekici, Vice-Rector of Eurasia National University Prof. Dihan Kamzabekulı and Nur Sultan Yunus Emre Institute Deputy Director Dr. Almagül Isina.

In his speech, Ambassador Ufuk Ekici emphasized that Turkish tea and bagels were an integral part of the culture and said, ‘’On this wise, we introduced not only Turkish tea and bagels but also our cuisine and traditions in general.’’ Pointing out the importance of continuing such activities after the epidemic, Ekici said, ‘’As the Embassy, we will continue to support it.’’

Büyükelçi Ufuk Ekici yapmış olduğu konuşmasında Türk çayı ve simidinin kültürün ayrılmaz bir parçası olduğuna vurgu yaparak "Bu vesileyle sadece Türk çayı ve simidini değil genel olarak mutfağımızı, geleneklerimizi de tanıtmış olduk." dedi. Bu tür etkinliklerin salgın sonrası devam etmesinin önemine işaret eden Ekici, "Bizler de Büyükelçilik olarak desteklemeye devam edeceğiz." diye konuştu.

TEA HAS A SPECIAL MEANING IN TURKISH CULTURE

Nur Sultan Yunus Emre Institute Deputy Coordinator Dr. Almagül Isina mentioned the place of tea in Turkish culture with these words:

"Tea has a special place in the cuisine of Turkish tribes. Tea is an occasion for the beginning and development of conversation between people. Today at Eurasia University, we will introduce Turkish tea and bagels to further develop the cultural relations between Turkish and Kazakh societies.

After the opening speeches, a gift was presented to the management of Eurasia University, which hosted the festival on behalf of the Nur Sultan Yunus Emre Institute, for their contributions to the success of the event.

As part of the festival, hosted by Aygerim Talen, one of the trainees of the Nur Sultan Yunus Emre Institute, Turkish tea, bagels, and cheese were presented to the guests. At the event, Nur Sultan Yunus Emre Institute trainee Aliya Süleymenova performed Turkish songs, and the ‘’İnkarim’’ Folk Dance group presented a show on the theme of tea.

The Kazakh press was also very interested in the promotion of tea, which is an important element of Turkish culture and cuisine.

Deputy Director Prof. Dihan Kamzabekuli pointed out that after the long quarantine process, it was very meaningful to organize activities to promote Turkish culture under the roof of the university, and it would be beneficial to continue such activities.

At the festival, which attracted great attention, Turkish tea and bagels were served, and presentations were made about Turkish cuisine.

The festival ended with a concert program in which well-known Turkish songs were performed.