Türkiye announces inclusion of 2 more cultural elements on UNESCO list

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye on Thursday announced the inclusion of two multinational values -- tea culture as a symbol of identity, hospitality and social interaction and the tradition of telling jokes by Seljuk satirist Nasreddin Hodja -- on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Nasreddin Hodja is a unique and entertaining character from Turkish folklore.

“Our multinational nomination files of ‘Telling tradition of Nasreddin Hodja/Molla Nesreddin/ Molla Ependi/Apendi/Afendi Kozhanasyr Anecdotes’ submitted with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and ‘Culture of Çay (Tea), a Symbol of Identity, Hospitality and Social Interaction’ submitted with Azerbaijan have been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during the 17th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The 17th session of the meeting is being held in the Moroccan capital Rabat between Nov. 28 and Dec. 3.

The ministry added that the number of Turkiye's cultural elements inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage has reached 25.

“We will continue to cherish and carry our rich oral traditions and expressions into the future and promote our socially-embedded cultural elements which have a strong and deep-rooted tradition,” it added.

Earlier in the day, the ministry announced the inclusion of its multinational "Sericulture and Traditional Production of Silk for Weaving" on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.