Traditional Turkish Archery Course at Dhofar Autumn Festival in Oman

Yunus Emre Institute, Türkiye’s global cultural insttution, continues to introduce the ancient

values of Turkish culture to wide audiences by participating in national and international

events in countries where it has representations.

As part of the "Kemankeş Project," initiated in collaboration with Okçular Vakfı, various

activities are organized around the world to promote the history of traditional Turkish archery

and to train athletes in this field, contributing to intercultural dialogue.

The Muscat Yunus Emre Institute, which is still in the establishment phase in Oman’s capital,

took part in the Dhofar Autumn Festival (Khareef Dhofar), one of the most important and

notable social events in the Sultanate of Oman, with a Turkish archery course.

The program, held in Salalah, one of the world's most beautiful destinations and tourism

cities, hosted by the Dhofar Municipality, was organized in collaboration with Muscat Yunus

Emre Institute and Al-Bayan Global Business, with the support of the Ministry of Culture,

Youth, and Sports of the Sultanate of Oman, the Turkish Embassy in Muscat, Turkish

Airlines, Okçular Vakfı, and the Japan Karate Association Oman (JKAOman).

The intricacies of Turkish archery are taught by young masters in Salalah, a world-renowned

tourist city in Oman.

During the autumn festival period, when Salalah receives the most tourists from Oman, the

Gulf, and the Arabian Peninsula countries, and approximately one million visitors are

expected in 2024, traditional Turkish archery courses are being held for two weeks as part of

the "Kemankeş Project."

The courses are led by Beyzanur Şimşek, who has individual and team achievements in

Turkish championships and continues her work at Okçular Vakfı, as well as by Omani

instructors Nawaf Abdullah AlKafi and Mohammed AlHashami, who became Turkish

archery instructors through the teacher training program held in Turkey in March 2024 via

Muscat Yunus Emre Institute. The courses are attended by numerous participants living in

Salalah and visiting for the Khareef festival.

Visit by Turkish Ambassador to Oman Prof. Dr. Muhammet Hekimoğlu

The Turkish Ambassador to Oman, HE Prof. Dr. Muhammet Hekimoğlu, visited the program

organized by the institute in Salalah.

From August 1 to 14, 2024, visitors attending the courses learn about the history, intricacies,

and place of traditional Turkish archery in Islamic and Turkish culture, as well as Turkish

archery terms, and also experience target archery practically.Turkish Ambassador to Oman HE Prof. Dr. Muhammet Hekimoğlu, who visited the

program with the Director General of the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports of Dhofar,

stated: "This activity marks the beginning of the cultural work of Yunus Emre Institute in the

Sultanate of Oman. In diplomacy and inter-country relations, one of the most important and

strongest elements is culture. We hope for the continuation of such events that bring together

the deep cultural heritage of the Sultanate of Oman with the cultural heritage of our country.

We are grateful for the opportunity provided in Salalah's most important festival season

during the opening year of our Yunus Emre Institute. I also thank the representatives of

Muscat Yunus Emre Institute and Al-Bayan Global Business who worked hard to make this

happen. To the participants, I say: Thank you for your participation. One of the most valuable

blessings in life is sports. We are always ready to support archery courses and everything

related to sports. After the journey you started today, I hope that in the future, we will be able

to represent traditional Turkish archery with our Omani friends in different parts of the

world."

Director General of the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports of Dhofar, Moosa bin

Abdullah Said Al-Qassabi, who visited the course program, stated:

"I would like to thank our expert trainers, participants, and the representatives of Yunus Emre

Institute and Al-Bayan Global Business who made this event possible. We are very happy that

the esteemed Ambassador of Turkey has honored the Sultan Qaboos Youth, Sports, and

Entertainment Center. This center supports cultural and sports events in Dhofar and Salalah. It

is very important for us to see more representation of Turkey here. We hope to host

Traditional Turkish Archery courses in Salalah every year during the Khareef festival period

and are always ready to support more collaborations."

CEO of Al-Bayan Global Business, Said bin Hamad Alhashami, stated:

"I would like to thank the General Directorate of Dhofar and Dhofar Municipality for

facilitating this event in the Sultanate. Our supervising instructor from Turkey, Beyzanur

Şimşek, and our Omani instructors, Mohammed Alhashami and Nawaf AlKaff, who

participated in traditional archery training in Turkey through Yunus Emre Institute, are

teaching the intricacies of traditional archery to about 25 participants from various categories

here in this unique two-week course. Participants will have the opportunity to learn a lot in

this field, both theoretically and practically. We hope to continue and expand this cooperation

with Yunus Emre Institute in Muscat to different regions of the Sultanate."

Fatmanur Samastı, Coordinator of Yunus Emre Institute Muscat, stated:

"While our opening works continue in Muscat, it is very exciting and a very lucky start for us

to be included in this organization during Khareef Dhofar, one of Oman's most important

festivals, in Salalah. We are preparing a program that will bring the two countries closer

together, from Turkish courses to cultural and artistic events. Opening Turkish Archery

courses during the festival period in Salalah has been our first public event. We made a

special start with Traditional Turkish Archery courses in Oman, where tradition and sports are

highly valued. We thank the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports of the Sultanate of Oman

Dhofar General Directorate and Dhofar Municipality for providing this opportunity. We are

grateful to Al-Bayan Global Company, which shared the burden of the organization with us,

and to the Turkish Embassy in Muscat, Turkish Airlines, and Okçular Vakfı for their

support."