Santa Claus: How a Bearded Black Bishop Born in Turkey
Became America’s Favorite White Saint
Linda Ann Loschiavo, Special to The Turkish Times - His beard and reputation are world famous. Miracles ascribed to him are legendary. Youngsters ponder his whereabouts and travel agenda, especially in December, knowing he’s not afraid to fly and he’s never run out of money. More

10 Thousand Tourists Visit Mevlana Museum In Konya
Anadolu Agency, Sunday, December 15, 2002, KONYA - Nearly ten thousand Turkish and foreign tourists visited the Mevlana Museum in central province of Konya during Mevlana Week. Curator Erdogan Erol told the A.A correspondent on Sunday that number of Turkish and foreign tourists visiting Mevlana Museum increased considerably this year. Jalal ud-din Rumi, known as "Mevlana" The Great Teacher, devoted himself to the pursuit of Sufi mysticism, in which field he was justly regarded as a supreme master. He was the spiritual founder of the Mevlevi order of whirling dervishes. His most important work, composed during the last ten years of his life, is the Mathnawi-i Manawi. This comprises about thirty thousand couplets in six books, a vast compendium of Sufi lore and doctrine, interspersed with fables and anecdotes. It is especially remarkable for its insight into the laws of physics and psychology. Second to this is the Diwan-i Shams-i Tabriz, a collection of lyrics (ghazals) dedicated to his spiritual guide Shamsuddin of Tabriz.

"Rumi Club" established to promote dialogue on religion
Marjorie Censer. Daily Princetonian Staff Writer, December 2, 2002 - Two new groups have sprung up to remedy what they say is a lack of productive dialogue among people of different convictions on Princeton University (New Jersey) campus. Four graduate students founded the Rumi Club for Interfaith Dialogue in late September, and the club had its first event Nov. 14. The Princeton Peace Process had its open house Nov. 24. More

Works of Turkish-American Composer on WV Public Television
Osman Kivrak is a Musician in Residence at American University
The Turkish Times - West Virginia Public Television will broadcast a program of works by Chinese and American composers in a program entitled "A Musical Bridge to China" on December 14 at 9:00 PM. One of the works that will be included in this PBS program is the string quartet, "Koroglu", by Turkish-American composer Osman Kivrak. More

A Sip of Turkish Coffee History
Millions of people drink, and enjoy the taste of coffee throughout the entire world. However, the origin of this dark and fragrant brew is somewhat of a mystery. To our modern 'Latte' generation, the age of coffee is thought to be about three hundred years old. Some coffee historians believe that the coffee bean is as old as man. The earliest fossil remains of ancient man have been found in the central part of East Africa, near Southwest Ethiopia. Ethiopia is same place where the first coffee beans were harvested from wild coffee plants. Coffee was given its name, not by the country of its origin, "Kaffa" in Ethiopia, but from the Arabic word "qahwa." More

Viviane Wayne reads from her book "Inshallah"
The Turkish Times - Each year, during the month of November the Jewish Community Center of Orange County (JCC), California holds their Festival of Books program. One of the books that was featured in this year’s Author Series was Inshallah by Viviane Wayne. Ms. Wayne is a travel writer and poet whose work has appeared frequently in the San Francisco Examiner and the Los Angeles Times. Her book, Inshallah ("if God wills"), has been called "a Turkish odyssey rich with exotic experiences…like a magic carpet ride on the fresh breeze of a poet’s mind." Inshallah is the story of Viviane’s two trips to Turkey and the discoveries she made as she traced the history of the Jews of Turkey and her own family’s roots.

The keynote speaker was the Honorable Ozgur Kivanc Altan, Vice Consul of the Republic of Turkey in Los Angeles. Mr. Altan spoke about the historic relationship between the Turks and Jews as well as the present relationship between Turkey and Israel.

Members of the Daughters of Atatürk prepared the delicious desserts that were served during the evening. Sema Karaoglu was the chairperson for this event.

LECTURE: "AN EVENING WITH FERIDUN ÖZGÖREN, EBRU MASTER"
Wednesday, Feb. 5
The Textile Museum
2320 S Street, NW Washington, DC
Phone: 202 667 0441

Reception at 6:00 pm Lecture at 7:00 pm
Spend an evening with acclaimed artist Feridun Özgören, whose exquisite works of Islamic calligraphy and marble on paper have garnered attention since the 1980s. A native of Turkey and a master of the ebru art form that developed in Muslim cultural settings in Persia, Turkey, and India about 500 years ago, Özgören draws on ebru traditions of the past while developing his own innovative techniques.

Learn about this art form and Özgören's creative process through images and the works themselves. Sponsored by the American Turkish Association of Washington, DC and Assembly of Turkish American Associations. Museum shop will be open 5:30-7 pm. FREE; reservations required.