Poetry: Ashraf AboArafe
From the banks of the Nile to the Black Sea shore,
A song of friendship travels evermore;
To Trabzon, jewel where mountain and sea unite,
Where history glows in the Bosphorus light.
O Trabzon, pearl of the Black Sea blue,
Where emerald hills embrace the skies anew,
Where ancient stones their treasured stories keep,
And waves compose the songs of mountains steep.
From Anatolia’s heart your beauty flows,
Through winding paths where fragrant nature grows;
Your waterfalls sing hymns of joy and grace,
Your forests weave green dreams around the place.
Your craftsmen speak through copper, carved and bright,
Through woven silk and woodwork shaped with light;
Your baskets, knives, and treasures proudly show
The patient hands that keep traditions aglow.
Your küymak warms the heart with golden cheer,
Akçaabat köfte draws the world so near;
Your pide bears the flavour of the land,
While anchovies delight the waiting hand.
And crimson tea, in delicate glasses poured,
Makes every guest feel welcomed and adored;
Your roasted hazelnuts perfume the air,
A taste of Trabzon’s generous care.
The Black Sea spreads its endless blue embrace,
While green-clad mountains guard your grace;
And every harvest, every hillside view,
Reveals the bond between the earth and you.
Yet more than beauty brings our peoples near,
More than the feast, the landscape, or the cheer;
For Egypt and Türkiye share a noble art:
The art of friendship, rooted in the heart.
The Nile extends its hand across the sea,
And Anatolia answers warmly, free;
Two ancient lands, two histories intertwined,
Two proud civilizations, one bond of mind.
O Salih Mutlu Şen, ambassador of grace,
A bridge of friendship, dignity, and place;
You turn diplomacy to something more—
A human bond that opens every door.
You let our histories speak and intertwine,
And make cultural understanding shine;
You bring the arts and peoples into view,
And let the spirit of friendship bloom anew.
Go forth, Ambassador, and let your mission be
A bridge between the mountains and the sea;
Let culture be the pulse that nations share,
And friendship bloom wherever hearts are fair.
For diplomacy that finds the human soul
Can make divided horizons one whole;
Its echoes live beyond the passing day,
And light the paths that distance cannot sway.
Across the years, our dreams have found their way,
Through stories that still captivate today;
Noor brought its glow, Years of Lost Dreams its tears,
And Turkish tales drew Egypt close through years.
The Magnificent Century recalled the past,
Resurrection: Ertuğrul made legends last;
Fatmagül and Black Love crossed the screen,
And built a bridge where hearts had never been.
And if forbidden love once bore its name,
Let Permissible Love become our flame;
For love between our peoples knows no chain,
And turns the distant shore to home again.
And when Mohamed Salah’s name is heard,
A thousand hearts respond without a word;
From Egypt’s fields his star has found its way,
And Turkish voices join the cheers today.
Then Trabzon strikes the strings of joy and light,
The Nile responds, its waters singing bright;
And one great chant rises, fierce and strong:
Allah Allah Allah Mohamed Salah!
Allah Allah Allah Bu Nasıl Sevmek!
For when two nations sing in harmony,
The sea becomes a bridge, the Nile runs free;
And Trabzon’s melody, on friendship’s wing,
Finds Egypt’s heart—and makes the whole world sing.
