Silk Road Festival, Houston Texas

The massive-scale festival will bring together hundreds of dancers, musicians, artists, cooks and volunteers from the six participating countries of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The event will focus on the culture and history of these nations along the ancient trade route in Eurasia. “The Silk Road was a major commercial and cultural center for centuries,

” said Kemal Oksuz, President of TCAE. “We are going to celebrate that rich history and give visitors the opportunity to learn about it first hand.”

The Silk Road Festival will be located on a 10-acre area and feature life-like replicas of each country’s historic landmarks. Within each area there will be displays of crafts, and music and folk dance performances, and visitors will be able to walk through interactive sets of each country. The sets were designed and constructed by Norm Dizayn, a Turkish company, with more than 20 carpenters working on the sets over a four-month period. One of the highlights of the festival is a 52-foot (16 meter) tall dome-shaped structure at the center of the grounds. Inside will be stalls selling hand-made jewelry, scarves, charms and carpets, as well as artists demonstrating water marbling, calligraphy, stonecarving and filigree. Another attraction will be actors wearing authentic costumes, mingling with festivalgoers and bringing to life the colorful life and styles of these cultures.