US student tour Turkey to discover Islam, history and art

A group of students and professors from the United States is touring Turkey to study its art, architecture and main religion with the aim of promoting intercultural relations and changing the established perceptions of Islam. Supported by grants from the Turkish Cultural Foundation, the trip is being led by professors Meredith Strauss and Rochelle Kessler of Woodbury University, a private, non-profit, non-sectarian university located in Burbank, California. Kessler, an art history professor, said, "Islam shares similarities with Christian and Jewish traditions. It has a special, wonderful and rich culture like the other religions. During their 17-day tour in Turkey, they have so far visited Istanbul, Çanakkale and Bursa to see the cities’ art and architecture. "We walked through the gallery in the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum in Istanbul, and students were able to see the true colors from Anatolia before they saw them in books. They were amazed at how beautiful the pieces were," she added. "We chose Turkey for the trip because it is progressive and because of the easygoing personality of its people," Kessler said, adding that Turkey is a wonderful blend of Middle East and Asia with European influences. "Students begin to understand the great legacy of the Ottomans – how they once ruled such a large area and how powerful a history Turkey has," she said. "They now know its history and ancient sites, which they had seen in the movies before, but didn’t realize were in Turkey." She gave the film "Troy," which is set near Çanakkale, by the Dardanelles, as an example. "You have all these layers from the very ancient civilizations – Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Islam, Seljuk, Ottoman. Even in Istanbul you see all of it," Kessler said, adding that the teachers would have further discussions with the students following the trip. "The students are much more open and knowledgeable about the Islamic world and surprised about the depth and richness of Turkey, which is modern side by side with ancient ruins," she said. "That’s interesting and surprising."