Foreign delegations shared the holiday in honor of the city of Anau with Turkmen people
Today, on March 26, on the “Novruz Meadow” - a festive site near Ashgabat, where a giant white yurt rises against the backdrop of the foothills, a large festival of international scope took place. A program of events that will take place within the framework of the mission of the city of Anau as the cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2024 was launched here.
The ceremony was attended by the heads of the International Organization of Turkic Culture, the Organization of Turkic States, the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, the International Turkic Academy, relevant ministries of member countries and observers of TURKSOY, and a delegation of creative and scientific figures from Turkic-speaking countries.
Among the participants are foreign ambassadors and representatives of foreign media, members of the Turkmen government. All guests were greeted at the symbolic gates in the medieval style of eastern cities, only the massiveness of the structure and the guards at the entrance did not mean inaccessibility, but, on the contrary, a willingness to open up to good neighbors and friends and protect this friendship and common peace.
Therefore, the first people the guests saw outside the gate were the kids, who touched those entering with their funny greetings. On, and then a large Turkmen celebration unfolded with songs and dances, demonstrations of decorative and applied arts and folk rituals, and generous treats.
The scenery for the holiday was the blue mountain range on the horizon and the natural landscape of the Ahal valley with traditional yurts, high swings and replicas of historical monuments of Turkmenistan. In one of the performances, against the backdrop of the recreated original appearance of the main Anau attraction - the Seyit Dzhemaleddin Mosque, the artists acted out a plot from the history of archaeological research of these places. As one might guess, one of the characters was the American explorer Raphael Pampelli, considered the discoverer of the Anau culture.
The four-legged helpers – camels, alabai and horses, which attracted special attention from the guests and were not averse to participating in photo sessions, also coped well with their roles in the “Novruz Meadow”. But all the cameras - television, photo and numerous mobile devices - immediately headed in one direction when the Turkmen riders entered the arena. The show with Akhal-Teke horses added spice to the spectacle, earning a standing ovation.
Other participating countries also presented their musical traditions, national costumes and other elements of their original culture in separate tents.
The celebration continued in the “Türkmeniň Ak Öýi” building. Here, the welcoming address of President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov to the participants of the events was read, and Secretary General of TURKSOY Sultan Raev and Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States Kubanychbek Omuraliev spoke.
The gala concert was preceded by a historical installation on the theme of the ancestor of many Turkic peoples, Oguz Khan, and his testaments about the importance of unity and cohesion. Afterwards, the stage was made available to pop artists and dance groups - along with the Turkmen ones, there were soloists and ensembles from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, as well as from Moldova, ATU Gagauzia, and such Russian regions as Bashkortostan, Tyva and Sakha, Yakutia.
In addition to today’s events, their foreign participants in the coming days will become delegates to the international scientific conference “Ancient Anau Culture” and the media forum “Turkmen land is the center of ancient civilizations”.
Excursions were also organized for guests of the country to one of the outstanding monuments on the territory of the Ahal velayat - the Seyit Dzhemaleddin Mosque of the 15th century and to the “smart” city of Arkadag.
Turkmenistan is hosting guests for the second time as the country of the cultural capital of the Turkic world. In 2015, this mission was carried out by the city of Mary.
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