Silk Road Festival introducing Turkic culture held in US ends

A large festival introducing Turkic culture that started in the city of Stafford, Texas, on Thursday came to an end with the attendance of a large number of locals on Sunday. The Silk Road Festival, organized by the Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians, began on Thursday and ended on Sunday. This was the first time that the festival has been held, but it has been a success, both organizers and attending artists say. Many locals participated in the event and enjoyed activities that were held on the event's final day. The festival featured many stands that promote local and traditional handicrafts, music and foods unique to Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, countries located along the ancient trade route known as the Silk Road. Organizers said one of the most popular stands was a vendor selling Turkish food, followed by a concession featuring ebru work, a traditional Turkish paper marbling. US-based ebru artist Nazli Cizmeci performed her art under the curious gaze of festival visitors. In addition to informative and entertaining stands about the cultures of the various countries located along the legendary road that connected Asian travelers to Europe, the festival also featured 50-meter-long panoramic pictures of historic buildings from each of the countries represented. The festival provided Texans and visitors from other areas, such as Satdashan Khalsa, who came all the way from New Mexico just to attend the festival, a unique cultural experience, while also giving those originally from Turkey and the other participating countries a taste of home. Khalsa said, “I think the festival is truly worth visiting for the great food and interesting handicrafts.” There were also musical performances and concerts during the festival while professional dancers performed local dances from the various countries. The festival was held on a 60-hectare area which was provided to the organizers for the festival by the city of Stafford. Omer Faruk Tekbilek, the world-famous master of mystical music, performed a concert at the festival. In remarks during the concert, Tekbilek said the civilizations of the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia together form a rich whole and send a message of peace and brotherhood, emphasizing the unifying aspect of music. Tekbilek's group was made up of musicians from diverse backgrounds, including artists from the US, Israel, Iran, Armenia and Turkey.