Exhibition features Qurans from China
ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency
Mehmet Paçacı from the Directorate of Religious Affairs (L) holds a press conference about the ‘Islamic Culture and Artwork’ exhibiton that will open tomorrow. AA photo
An exhibition titled “Islamic Culture and Artwork in China” will open in Istanbul Sept. 1, as part of Turkey’s Year of Chinese Culture. The exhibition includes a Quran printed on silk, which will be displayed for the first time outside of China.The exhibition opens tomorrow at the Ali Emiri Efendi Culture Center in Fatih, and will continue until September 7.
Turkey and China have thousand years of shared history, and for much of this time Muslim people have lived in China, Mehmet Paçacı, a foreign affairs representative from the Directorate of Religious Affairs, said. “We know that [more recently] Muslim people have not lived very prosperously in China, but we also know that there are [Muslim] traditions in China. China has known Islam for years.”
Since 2009, religious affairs between China and Turkey have developed a great deal, Paçacı said. “In 2011 we paid visits to each other’s countries.”
2012 is being celebrated as the Year of Chinese Culture in Turkey, and 2013 will be the Year of Turkish Culture in China.
Events honoring both years will take place according to protocols signed between the two countries.
There will be different activities all year long in both countries, Paçacı said.
The exhibition’s opening ceremony will be attended by Vice President Bekir Bozdağ, Religious Affairs Directorate head Mehmet Görmez, Chinese Religious Affairs Director Wang Zuo and Chinese Islamic Association President Hilalundin Chen Guangyan.
The event is very important for China, Chinese State Administration for Religious Affairs Foreign Affairs Director Guo Wei said. The motto for the Year of Chinese Culture is “Peace and friendship, developing together,” she said, and this exhibition will serve this aim. The same exhibition has traveled to Singapore and Indonesia before, Guo said.