News
Tanzanian students place first in Turkish Olympiad folk dance final
KÜBRA ENGİN, İSTANBUL A group of Tanzanian students won the final round in the 11th International Turkish Olympiad folk dance competition held at the İstanbul Sinan Erdem Sports Complex on Thursday night. Thousands of spectators were thrilled by the performances of foreign students in the folk dance finals as part of the Olympiad, a competition […]
An Eye-Opening Trek Into Turkish Society
WALTER RATLIFF* In Gaziantep, Turkey, the children at a local orphanage were recently asked to write about what they wished for most in life. The exercise was designed to help them think about their goals for the future. However, one child took the answer in a different direction: “I wish my parents could come back […]
Turkish Olympiad students sing Kurdish, Turkish songs in Diyarbakır
İPEK ÜZÜM, DİYARBAKIR Students visiting Turkey from 140 countries for the 11th International Turkish Olympiad, a festival that celebrates the Turkish language and has brought together 2,000 students to Turkey this year, fascinated locals in the predominantly Kurdish city of Diyarbakır by singing songs in both the Kurdish and Turkish languages on Wednesday night. […]
Turkish Olympiad most effective promotion for Turkey, says FM
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has praised the 11th International Turkish Olympiad, a festival that celebrates the Turkish language, as the “most effective” instrument for promoting Turkey, while receiving students visiting Turkey as part of the Olympiad. Davutoğlu said he has been a fan of the Turkish Olympiads for a long time, noting that […]
Schools Founded by Volunteers to Light the Way for the German Educational System
German journalist and author, Dr. Jochen Thies, stated that it saddens him to see that the public is not aware of the self-sacrifice, perseverance and quality that he has observed in the schools in Germany that have been founded by Hizmet volunteers. Noting that in five years these schools will be serving as guiding beacons […]
Gülen calls for peaceful coexistence, warns about deceit and oppression
Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has called for living together in peace, echoing similar remarks issued by President Abdullah Gül last week against the background of two-week-long anti-government protests in Turkey. “For the love of God, let’s live for a while in a [spirit] of brotherhood,” Gülen said, borrowing a theme from a popular song […]
Grand stage shows by Turkish Olympiad students enthrall İzmir locals
İPEK ÜZÜM, İSTANBUL Students coming to Turkey from all around the globe for the 11th International Turkish Olympiad — a festival that celebrates the Turkish language and which this year has brought together 2,000 students from 140 countries — fascinated thousands of locals in İzmir with their stage performances on Sunday night. A very large […]
Singing, poetry competitions of Turkish Olympiad held in İstanbul, Ankara
Senegalese student Maty Diokhane, who recited a Necip Fazıl Kısakürek poem, won the poetry competition of the 11th International Turkish Language Olympiad on Saturday night, while Martin Yordanov from Bulgaria won the singing contest held in İstanbul on Friday night. The 11th International Turkish Language Olympiad, which brings together hundreds of foreign students each year […]
Turkish Olympiad raises hopes for world peace
İPEK ÜZÜM, İSTANBUL Students who have arrived in Turkey from countries around the world for the 11th International Turkish Olympiad, which is a festival that celebrates the Turkish language and has brought together 2,000 students from 140 different countries this year, are building strong ties and lasting friendships and in turn raising hopes for world […]
President Gül says Turkish Olympiads ‘greatest service’ to Turkey
The president has branded the annual contest of foreign students on the Turkish language the “greatest service” to Turkey, Turkish culture and its language, as he met with contestants participating in this year’s Olympiads. President Abdullah Gül told reporters while meeting with participants of the 11th Turkish Olympiads in the Çankaya presidential palace that organizations […]
Bulgarian student wins Turkish Olympiad song contest final
İPEK ÜZÜM, İSTANBUL Martin Yordanov from Bulgaria won the most prestigious medal for singing at the 11th International Turkish Language Olympiad on Friday night before a crowd of tens of thousands in İstanbul, beating 14 competitors from various countries. Foreign students fascinated thousands of spectators with their performances in song contest final as part of […]
President Gül hosts Turkish Olympiad students in Ankara
YASİN KILIÇ, ANKARA President Abdullah Gül hosted a group of students coming to Turkey as part of the 11th International Turkish Olympiad, a festival that celebrates the Turkish language and this year brought together 2,000 students from 140 countries around the world, in the capital on Friday. The Turkish Olympiad, which is organized by the […]
Take protests seriously, work to solve problems, Fethullah Gülen urges
Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has urged that the protests that have gripped Turkey for nearly 10 days not be underestimated or ignored, adding that “we share the blame” for the unrest. Gülen also urged restraint and patience from his followers and said “our duty is to work to rehabilitate hearts.” Gülen frequently used “we” in a […]
Abant Platform urges government, protesters to exercise common sense
Turkey’s leading social debate platform Abant has called on both government and protesters to exercise common sense, urging restraint for both sides to avoid violence in nationwide protests that gripped Turkey for more than a week. The Abant Platform expressed its concerns over possible chaos that could follow sometimes mutually violent actions of both sides […]
