 "Photo: Jay Carlson")
On Sunday, the Nebraska East Union was overtaken with the sights, sounds and tastes of a distant land. It was Turkish Night 2007, an event that celebrated all aspects of Turkey.
"We tried to create a platform where different cultures could meet and get to know each other informally," said Saltuk Bugra Aksu, the president of the Turkish Student Association and a graduate student in engineering mechanics. "It's important for other cultures to meet like this. We wanted to introduce people to modern Turkey, to our country, to our culture, to everything."
The event, hosted by TSA, showcased Turkish music, food, art, clothing and history. There were also a handful of guest speakers, including Vice Chancellor of Research Prem Paul and Eveline Baesu, a associate professor of engineering mechanics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Can Ceylanoglu played traditional Turkish piano music. Musicians performed Palestinian and Saudi Arabian music using the oud and darbuka, two classic Turkish instruments.
In addition to music, handmade Turkish crafts were on display. One such item was a collection of i?ne oyasis, small decorations knitted by Turkish girls. It ordinarily takes three months to create the base for an i?ne oyasi. The girls add more layers over time. Also showcased were Turkish rugs and sultan costumes.
Speakers discussed Turkish history and set up a display about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey.
Heidi Beckwith, the emcee for the event, estimated that more than 60 people attended.
"I think a lot of people really enjoyed the music," she said.
Beckwith said she enjoyed meeting new people and the sense of hospitality at the celebration.
But for many, the biggest draw was the Turkish cuisine.
The Turkish menu included food such as sarma, which is grape leaves stuffed with rice, and baklava, which is dough stuffed with walnuts and dipped in syrup.
"At any university, at any Turkish night, the favorite thing is always the food," said Ufuk Parali, an electrical engineering graduate student and treasurer for TSA.
