Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Centre organized a Turkish breakfast event for Palestinian students in Ramallah on Sunday. Students from Birzeit University, north of Ramallah, and other trainees learning Turkish at the Yunus Emre Institute attended the event.
The centre's director, Abdulkadir Astih, told an AA correspondent that the event was part of efforts to promote Turkish culture in general and Turkish cuisine in particular.
Astih said, "As a centre, we attach importance to introducing Palestinian students, especially those learning Turkish, to Turkish customs and traditions. Cuisine is a fundamental part of cultural identity."
Emphasizing that Turkish cuisine has a rich and diverse structure inherited from Ottoman cuisine, Astih noted that this diversity stems from the cultural interaction of different peoples within the Ottoman Empire.
Astih stated that the event offered students an opportunity to get to know traditional foods found on breakfast tables in Turkey, and also noted that similarities between Palestinian and Turkish cuisines were observed.
The breakfast table included salty and sweet varieties, as well as simit, one of the most well-known traditional Turkish pastries.
Astih added that the centre organizes cultural and language events throughout the year aimed at strengthening cultural exchange between the Palestinian and Turkish peoples and encouraging students to learn Turkish.
Yunus Emre Institute's presence in Palestine
Yunus Emre Institute has two official branches in Palestine. The Jerusalem branch opened in 2013 under the name "Turkish Cultural Centre affiliated with the Turkish Consulate General in Jerusalem." The Ramallah branch became operational in 2018, expanding the institute's activities in the West Bank.
Founded in 2009, Yunus Emre Institute operates in dozens of countries with the aim of promoting Turkish culture and language and opening Turkey's cultural doors to the world.
