International students experience enthusiastic Ramadan in Türkiye
Ramadan pita at iftar, drummers at sahur, decore of mosques to variety of sweets, international students evaluate the holy month of Ramadan’s atmosphere in Türkiye as “the best of the best”
INTERNATIONAL students studying under the Türkiye Scholarships of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) program expressed their joy at spending Ramadan in Türkiye at the Iftar program held at the YTB building in Ankara on Thursday.
Students from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and many other international students evaluated the Ramadan atmosphere in Türkiye to Anadolu Agency (AA).
Bekzod Khamroev, from Uzbekistan, who is doing his master’s degree at the Department of Oriental Studies at Yıldırım Beyazıt University, stated
that there is no difference between Ramadan in his country and Türkiye and said, “The only difference between Türkiye and my country may be the food, that’s why I feel at home in Türkiye, too.”
Khamroev stated that he frequently visits Türkiye for iftar during Ramadan.
Adilet Akynali Uulu from Kyrgyzstan, who has a master’s degree in international security at the Police Academy, described the Ramadan atmosphere in Türkiye as “the best of the best” and said, “I cannot see any difference because our ancestors have been one from time immemorial, our graves and markets are one and civilizations are one.”
Sandugash Kels from Kazakhstan, a graduate student at the Department of Contemporary Turkish Dialects at Hacı Bayram Veli University, also stated that, unlike his country, there are Ramadan pita and Ramadan drummers in Türkiye, and that drummers add color to Ramadan at sahur.
Kels, who said that he had crowded iftars with his relatives and friends during Ramadan in Kazakhstan, stated that the words “auız aşar” for iftar and “seresi” for Sahur are used in his country.
Aybölek Magtymkulyyeva from Turkmenistan, a student at Ankara Music and Fine Arts University, Department of Musicology, said that she was proud to study in Türkiye and was very happy to spend Ramadan with her friends.
Azerbaijani Tavat Asadova, who is doing a master’s degree at Ankara University Special Education Department, stated that the spirituality of Ramadan is experienced very well in Türkiye and that they had the opportunity to get to know the Ramadan atmosphere more closely thanks to the iftar program organized.
Asadova noted that it was very special for people to come together at iftar tables and said, “Azerbaijan and Türkiye are brother countries. Our cultures are almost the same, but the fact that the month of Ramadan is more enthusiastic in Türkiye made me happier.”
After the iftar, the guests visited the stands set up to promote the countries.