Images on Sunday spoke to the general coordinator and interpreter, Baris Lakerta, to gain insight into the rich culture of Turkey and an in-dept idea of the performance.

Q. Is the art of Kaat’i and paper marbling demonstrated by Nurten Sisman typical of Turkey. What do you think of our local culture? A. Yes, Kaat’i dates back to the days of the Ottoman Empire. It is also widely taught in Turkey as our government believes in transferring the rich local culture to the next generation and to give art and culture its due importance.

This form of art is very different from others. Every time you make it, it turns out different and a special mix is used to make it which is all organic — paint, pigments and colours. For Kaat’i, Nurten uses her own paper-cut flowers with mixed mediums.

This is our first visit to Pakistan and we find the art and culture here quite varied, colourful and rich. Coming from our country we can understand it really well as it has reflections of our own world. The people here are very friendly and hospitable and we thank you all for it.

Q. What traditional instruments were played by the orchestra? A. They played local Turkish popular instruments such as tambur and kanun, a string instrument again dating back to the days of the Ottomans and also the kiman cheh, while the vocalist Yildirim sang traditional folk songs on the classical music. The entire orchestra comprises professional university lecturers well-trained in their respective art forms.

Q. What does the final group dance signify? A. The group dance is a celebratory dance. It is a war dance to celebrate victory. All that we have shown is reflective of Muslim and European cultures which is a part of Turkey. It is also known as the Black Sea folk dance. —A.K.