Turkish band in Saudi Arabia after 35 years

JEDDAH – Anadolu Agency

The Turkish instrumental music band Taksim Trio has performed a concert in the Saudi city of Jeddah, the first by a Turkish band in Saudi Arabia after 35 years.

The concert, organized at the recently-established King Abdullah Economic City, was attended by many people.

Taksim Trio, formed by Hüsnü Şenlendirici, Aytaç Doğan and İsmail Tunçbilek, was on stage for three hours during the open-air concert, performing Turkish music, folk songs and instrumental music.

Speaking after the concert, Şenlendirici said the last time a Turkish music band performed in Saudi Arabia was in 1983. He said their band had been giving concerts in the Middle East and other countries.

“This is our first time in Saudi Arabia. This is one of the first concerts in the country after many years. The audience was great; it was evident that they knew the songs and accompanied us. Nearly 1,000 people watched the concert until the end. It was not easy to keep people in their seats until the end with instrumental music. We were pleased to be here and the people were too,” he added.

The construction of the King Abdullah Economic City started in 2005 and was completed in 2010 with a cost of $100 billion on an area of 173 square kilometers on the coast of the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia has recently lifted a 35-year ban on many entertainment events as part of a broad campaign to transform the country after decades of hardline rule.