Alabama Istanbul Center opens new branch in Hoover

By Jon Anderson | janderson@al.com

on February 20, 2013 at 2:12 PM, updated February 20, 2013 at 5:50 PM Print

HOOVER, Alabama – The Alabama Istanbul Center plans to celebrate the opening of a new office in Hoover on Monday.

The nonprofit foundation, which seeks to promote Turkish culture and build bridges with people of other cultures, has opened an office at 2146 Centennial Drive off Lorna Road near the Landmark at Magnolia Glen apartment complex.

The foundation was established in 2006 to promote a better understanding and closer relations between Turkish and American individuals and communities, as well as other communities in Alabama, according to its website.

The main office has been in Mobile, but the center’s executive director, Umut Gunebir, moved to Hoover, and management of the organization will be at the Hoover office, said Ayse Zengul, a volunteer who is coordinating the grand opening celebration. The office in Mobile probably will close within a year, though the group still will have activities there, Zengul said.

The Alabama Istanbul Center center also works in Auburn, Huntsville, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa. The Hoover office is more centrally located for management of those activities, Zengul said.

The broader Istanbul Cultural Center has operations in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee as well.

The group’s major activities include trips to Turkey, essay contests and dinners to promote dialogue, Zengul said. The group also offers classes to teach about Turkish cooking, art and music, he said.

“There are going to be a lot of art and cultural-related activities there” at the office in Hoover, Zengul said.

The goal of the center is to contribute to world peace by proactively helping solve educational, cultural, environmental, social and humanitarian issues.

Monday’s celebration at the new branch in Hoover is scheduled from 2 to 5 p.m. and is supposed to feature Turkish cuisine, a demonstration of a traditional Turkish art technique and live music. Speakers are to include Veysel Yurdakul, governor of the Bitlis province in Turkey, Alabama Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, and University of Alabama at Birmingham Provost Linda Lucas.

For more information, contact the Alabama Istanbul Center at 567-9524 or visit the group’s website.

This article was updated at 3:47 p.m. with additional information.

To see more news from Hoover, go to www.al.com/hoover

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