The Near East University Faculty of Theology held a summer language school in Mecca, open to all students coming from around the world this year. 216 students from various countries participated.

The tenth annual summer language school of the Near East University Faculty of Theology was held this year in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. A total of 216 students and 19 faculty members from all over Turkey, Cyprus, and other countries participated in the program.

Founded in 2011 as the first faculty of theology in Northern Cyprus, the Near East University Faculty of Theology offers its students the opportunity to improve their language skills not only through classroom instruction but also through summer programs organized in various countries.

This year’s program attracted considerable interest from students in the faculty’s Arabic preparatory class, as well as students from the Faculties of Theology and Islamic Sciences in Turkey, and from the Arabic Language and Literature departments. In addition to students from all over Turkey, Students from diverse regions, including Greece, Macedonia, East Turkestan, and Uzbekistan, participated in the classes.

Education, spiritual journey, and international participation all in one…

Participants received 180 hours of Arabic instruction through intensive classes that began in the morning and continued until evening hours each day. Students were divided into ten classes based on their level, and the majority of the lessons were taught by native Arabic speakers. In addition to the instruction, the program was supplemented with visits that enriched the students’ spiritual well-being. Participants visited many important sites, including Arafat, Mina, Muzdalifah, Mount Thawr, and Hira, the tomb of Khadijah, the Jinn Mosque, the Prophet’s house, Mount Abu Qubays, Hudaybiyyah, the Ukaz Market, and Taif. They also entered the state of ihram and performed Umrah in Hudaybiyyah, Jirani, and Taif. In the final days of the program, they traveled to Medina to visit Badr, Uhud, the Trench, Quba, and the Qiblatin Mosque. Prayers were held at the Prophet’s Mosque and the Ravza Mosque.

The program concluded with a certificate ceremony. Attendees included Mustafa Ünal, Consul General of the Republic of Turkey in Jeddah; Prof. Dr. Mehmet Mahfuz Söylemez, Dean of the Faculty of Theology from Near East University; Hüseyin Eren Yıldızer, Communications Attaché at the Jeddah Consulate; Ahmet Oğuz, Religious Services Attaché; and İbrahim Çetin, General Manager of İkram Turizm. The students received their certificates from the dignitaries, crowning their training at the end of the program.