We left Capadocia in a rush to make it in time for an important meeting with the Head of Department of Culture and Museums and have dinner with the staff of the Embassy of Bahrain in Ankara. 

It was 3pm before we reached Ankara. We stopped at our hotel to check-in and pick up Petra who arrived earlier to join the team during our stay in Turkey. We're already on a tight schedule to meet up with Zulkuf Yilmaz, the Head of Department of Culture and Museums. We rushed to his office and did all the catching-up with Petra in the car. 

We made it to Mr. Yilmaz's office in time, and he was glad to meet us. He listened to the goals of our trip and exchanged possible future cooperation to promote Turkey and Bahrain. Ali presented him with a gift and publications from Bahrain. We left with hopes of meeting again to build on relations with the Turkish ministry of culture.

We were invited by the first secretary of the Bahrain Embassy Mrs. Arwa Al-Sayed to the Recep Usta restaurant, where she had organised a press dinner attended by some Turkish officials, Bahrain Embassy staff and members of the media. We discussed ways of establishing joint venture activities between Bahrain and Turkey. We also did some interviews for the TV media. 

It was a real pleasure to meet with Mrs. Al-Sayed and the Bahraini Embassy staff (Hamad Sayar, Hasan Al-Rashdan) and we are grateful for their unquestioned hospitality and support during our stay in Ankara.

Ammar Hammad