Turkish Yemenis greet ambassador

SANAA - Anatolia News Agency

Ambassador Fazlı Çorman (C) was welcomed at a ceremony by the Turkish descendants of the village, which is said to look like ‘Anatolia over the sky.’ AA photo

The Turkish descendents of a village in Yemen known as “Beyt al-Turki” have welcomed Ankara’s new ambassador to the country while also expressing hopes that Turkey’s president will one day visit their unique home as well.

Some 150 kilometers away from Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, residents of Beyt al-Turki threw a welcome ceremony for the newly appointed ambassador to the country, Fazlı Çorman, opening the doors of their village to other Turks living in Yemen.

The village bears the name “Beyt al-Turki” because of its Turkish inhabitants, who first moved to the area around 200 years ago; indeed the surname of most of the people living in the village is “Turki.” The granddaughters of Turkish officers who moved to the region at the time of the Ottoman Empire sold some of their lands to Arab families but continue to live in the area and keep Turkish traditions alive. 

Villagers hope a president of the Turkish Republic will visit their village one day. 

The welcoming ceremony organized for Çorman and the embassy staff caused great excitement in the village on the weekend, and preparations for the arrival of the Turkish officials began in the village many days before. 
The ceremony was organized at the entrance of the city of al-Mahvit, where music was performed on local instruments, the villagers danced and a banquet was held for the guests. 

Speaking at the ceremony, Çorman said he had been appointed to Yemen in order to strengthen ties between the two countries and presented gifts to important people of the village. 

In Beyt al-Turki, there is a “village house” that was established by Yemenites descended from Turkey and boasts a “Turkish section” where Turkish ambassadors who previously worked in Yemen, as well as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Ottoman sultans, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Abdullah Gül, have their portraits on the wall. 

The village is said to look like “Anatolia over the sky.”