Sufi poet commemorated at historical palace

Yunus Emre, one of the most important figures of Turkish-Islamic folk thought, was commemorated on the 700th anniversary of his death at the world-famous Ishak Pasha Palace in the eastern province of Ağrı.

In the program, held in the courtyard of the historic palace, the Konya Turkish Sufi Music Ensemble performed various works by the great mystic.

A whirling dervishes show took place at the event in which a section from Ahmed-i Hani's book "Mem and Zin," a Kurdish classic love story written down in 1692, was also read.

In his speech at the program, Culture and Tourism Deputy Minister Özgül Özkan Yavuz said that this year marks the 700th anniversary of Yunus Emre's death, and therefore, it is a special year.

He noted that 2021 was declared as the year of special commemoration of Yunus Emre by UNESCO with the initiative of Turkey.

"I think it is a blessing to be able to listen to these unique melodies and these magnificent words in Ishak Pasha Palace, one of the most precious seals our ancestors struck in Anatolia," he said.

Yunus Emre lived in Anatolia from the mid-13th century to the first quarter of the 14th century.

Writing his poems in the folk language in which he described the divine love that every believer seeks, he played a role in forming the dialect called "old Anatolian Turkish," which constitutes the first phase of the historical cycle of the Turkish language.

Being a symbol of human values, love and social peace, the poet discouraged any form of discrimination based on religion, language, or race in his works.