Staff and students can enjoy the beauty of the Turkish culture this Sunday without leaving Ames.

The Turkish Student Association and the Government of the Student Body are sponsoring Turkish Night in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union at 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The evening will include a cultural presentation, a fashion show, folk dance performances and traditional Turkish music. The cultural performances are open to the public free of charge.

“This is a cultural event. We are trying to promote Turkish culture,” said Selcuk Arslan, president of the Turkish Student Association. “Not only that, but our objective is to increase the diversity on campus.”

“It’s authentic, it’s interesting — and the food is great; it has many, many items,” said Julide Yilmaz, a board member of the Turkish Students Association and a member of the folk dance team.

The dance team will present three types of folk dances from different regions of Turkey. Yilmaz said the dance from the northern region is “more active than the others.”

Kaskac, a Turkish dance from a central Asian region, will be performed by eight dancers, four males and four females. In this dance, Yilmaz said, “every movement means something.”

The dance starts with the four women performing motions that represent praying. Then the women step back and the men step to the front. Yilmaz said the men perform “incredible movements — impossible to make.”

Dancers will wear traditional costumes during the dances from different regions. The costumes, Yilmaz said, are very colorful.

There will also be a fashion show, with brief information about the costumes and the regions of Turkey and about the culture, language and history of Turkey.

Live music will be performed during the folk dances on three Turkish instruments, Yilmaz said. One of the instruments looks like a guitar. Another, the darbuka, is a small drum held between the legs that does not touch the floor. The third instrument, the kemence, is like a violin but it is held vertical to the floor.

The members will play examples of traditional and pop music from Turkey for people who stay late.

A meal including tas kebap, rice pilav, red lentil soup, choban salad, stuffed grape leaves dolma, baklava for dessert, vegetable side dish, beverages and Turkish tea will be served for $6.

Yilmaz said the kebaps will have vegetables and probably beef. Most Turkish people, who are predominantly Muslim, do not eat pork.

The choban salad includes tomatoes and cucumbers and a sauce made of olive oil mixed with either lemon sauce or vinegar. Yilmaz said olive oil is traditionally used in Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine.

Yilmaz said the meal will have a more formal setting this year because the Memorial Union staff will cook and serve the meal, rather than the guests serving themselves.