Eiffel tower to sparkle in red and white in honor of Gul

YAYINLAMA
GÜNCELLEME

As part of the ongoing Turkish Season events in France, the Eiffel Tower will be lit up on Oct. 5-11 with the colors of the Turkish flag in honor of visiting President Abdullah Gul. Paris decided to make the gesture to mark Gul's Oct. 6 state visit to France to attend the opening of an exhibit on Istanbul at the Grand Palais, and will light up the tower with red and white. The Eiffel Tower, the tallest building in Paris and the second-tallest in France, is one of the most-visited monuments in the world, with more than 6 million people ascending it every year. The exhibit "From Byzantium to Istanbul: The Port of Two Continents" opens on Oct. 9 at the Grand Palais, and will stay open for three months. Under the auspices of the Turkish and French foreign and culture ministries and in collaboration with the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and the Arts, (IKSV), and Culturesfrance, Turkish Season will last through next March with various activities around the country. The season began with a performance by the Anatolian Fire dance group in front of the Eiffel Tower in July. In related news, the Paris Bosporus Institute, a new group meant to promote Turkish culture in France as well as foster independent and objective dialogue for opinion leaders, intellectuals and artists from Turkey and France, will be inaugurated with a conference in Istanbul late next month. Prominent Turkish and French politicians, businessmen, economists and opinion leaders will take part in a scholarly council under the institute. Henri de Castries, a member of the institute and the chairman of AXA, said the group wants to dispel prejudices between the two nations.