Cultural exchange A troupe of Saudi traditional dancers perform in Mary, Turkmenistan Saturday as part of Saudi Cultural Week which opened last Wednesday. (SPA photo) ASHGABAT: The Saudi Cultural Week in Turkmenistan which opened last Wednesday is continuing to attract large numbers of visitors to its events being held in the capital Ashgabat and the city of Mary, 350km to the east. Two lectures were held Friday on the historical cultural relations between the Arabian Peninsula and Asia at the Makhtoum Qouli University in the presence of officials from the Ministry of Culture and Information and members of the university, in one of which Yahya Bin Junaid, Secretary General of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, spoke on the history of three Turkmenistan cities and their archaeological sites and Islamic history. In the second lecture Abbas Tashkandi, a professor of library and information sciences, spoke of the city of Mary and its civilizations throughout history including the Islamic period. At the Fine Arts Academy Museum a special wing was dedicated to Saudi artists, while a delegation from the Kingdom visited the city of Mary and archaeological sites in the area's villages. Turki Hashar, the Saudi ambassador to Turkmenistan, said at the beginning of the week's events that Saudi-Turkmenistan relations were going through a period of “flourishing and development”. “The purpose of the Cultural Week is to convey inherited legacies to various peoples, strengthen the relations of the Kingdom with other countries, to reach high goals that boost brotherly bilateral relations,” he said. “Bringing cultures together and the unity of religions and similarity of customs and traditions in the two countries allows greater harmony and integration,” he said. “The Ministry of Culture and Information and its staff has been keen to make the Cultural Week a success and make it an embodiment of the dazzling culture and civilization of the Kingdom,” he added.
