Turkish festival in Washington draws hundreds

An annual Turkish festival in Washington, DC brought Turkey to the heart of the capital over the weekend, introducing Turkish art, culture and food to hundreds, at a site just 200 meters from the White House. The festival was organized by the American-Turkish Association of Washington (ATA-DC), a group seeking to promote and foster friendship between the peoples of Turkey and the US. Local residents showed great interest in the event, which emphasized Turkey's ties to the Balkans, the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Visitors sampled Turkish cuisine and enjoyed performances of Turkish music and folk dances. Kebabs, vegetable dishes, pastries and desserts prepared by 15 local restaurants were on sale and drew long lines of buyers. Visitors also had the chance to get their fortunes read from coffee grounds. Also featured at the festival were displays and demonstrations of Turkish arts such as ebru (paper marbling), çini (porcelain artwork), miniature painting and carpet weaving. A bazaar offered handmade items, including hand-woven fabrics and pottery from Turkey. ATA-DC head Demet Cabbar said he was very pleased with the great interest in the festival this year shown by non-Turks. "There are almost more non-Turks than Turks at the festival," he said. "We try to attract Americans and other non-Turks because Turks come to the festival anyway. Our purpose is to better present our country to non-Turks, and I think we largely accomplished that."