Türkiye, Iran mark joint cultural year with concert in Ankara

ANKARA

Türkiye and Iran launched their joint cultural year with a captivating concert in the Turkish capital Ankara dedicated to the revered Persian poet Shams-ud-din Muhammad Hafiz, celebrating the enduring literary and cultural connections between the two nations.

Aiming to strengthen cultural dialogue and promote mutual understanding through yearlong cultural programs, the joint cultural year was declared following the latest Türkiye-Iran high-level cooperation council meeting, chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

At the concert, Türkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy and Iranian Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Abbas Salehi joined audiences in honoring the legacy of the celebrated Persian poet.

Speaking ahead of the concert, Ersoy said the year would be celebrated with exhibitions, concerts, film screenings, literary gatherings and academic symposiums held across both countries.

“Through these events, we will come to know each other’s art, music, language, cuisine and people more closely,” Ersoy said, emphasizing that culture is a universal language that strengthens friendship and transcends borders.

Salehi said he was honored to attend the event in Türkiye, describing literature as a language that connects hearts beyond geography and politics.

He noted that the two nations have long preserved and cherished culture and literature as a common legacy, adding that Hafiz's works have historically been studied during the Ottoman era, reflecting the intertwined cultural memory of both nations.

The evening featured performances by the Iranian national instruments orchestra and a Turkish sufi music ensemble, blending Turkish and Persian musical traditions inspired by Hafiz's poetry.