From April 16 to April 20, the branch of Turkey’s flagship carrier “Turkish Airlines” in Turkmenistan, together with the Turkish Cultural Council (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Kültür Müşavirligi), organized a cultural-familiarization tour to Turkey for representatives of the airline’s authorized agencies in Turkmenistan.

The Turkmen delegation visited the historical cities of Turkey, Shanliurfa and Gaziantep, and got acquainted with the architectural monuments of these areas.

The tour began with a visit to Göbekli Tepe, a temple complex located 8 kilometers northeast of the city of Sanliurfa in Southeast Anatolia.

The grandiose structure, which is the oldest of the large megalithic structures in the world, was erected 12 thousand years ago, even before the appearance of the first human civilizations. There is a hypothesis that the construction of the complex could be associated with the discovery of natural cement and concrete based on it.

Representatives of authorized Turkish Airlines agencies in Turkmenistan also visited the archaeological museum in Sanliurfa, which opened its doors to foreign guests in 1969, and touched the ruins of the ancient cities of Harran, Halfeti and Zeugma. They also visited the sacred lake “Balykly-Gol” in the old part of Sanliurfa and got acquainted with the collection of the mosaic museum.

The incredible, mesmerizing work of mosaic art, called “Gypsy,” has been heard in almost every corner of the globe. The antique mosaic of a gypsy girl is the symbol of the Zeugma Mosaic Museum in Gaziantep. Her eyes are positioned in such a way that it seems as if they are looking at every viewer. The museum has a specially guarded room for the unique panel.

Guests from Turkmenistan also plunged into the abundance of local markets and tried the cuisine of Sanliurfa and Gaziantep. Among the dishes that these cities are famous for are beyran chorbasi soup, Antep lahmacun (“Turkish pizza”), ichli kofte, bostana salad, semsek, and local dessert “shyllyk”.

In Sanliurfa, the cultural and familiarization tour was complemented by bilateral meetings with representatives of leading tourist cities, during which the prospects for bilateral cooperation were discussed.

The tour participants express gratitude to the organizers for the opportunity to touch historical Turkey.

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