By Murat Karadag
CAPE TOWN, South Africa
Top officials of an Ottoman Cricket Club founded in South Africa in the nineteenth century are visiting Turkey on Sunday.
"The club will meet its roots in Turkey for the first time. We will visit the eastern Turkish city of Erzurum, which is the hometown of Abu Bakr Effendi," Rydwaun Salie, the club’s head, told Anadolu Agency.
The Ottoman Cricket Club was founded 136 years ago by two South African students of the Ottoman Turkish scholar Abu Bakr Effendi.
Sheikh Abu Bakr lived in South Africa in the 1800s after being sent by Ottoman Sultan Abdulmejid to teach and assist the Muslim community in Cape Town.
"As an Ottoman club in South Africa, we would like to share our experiences with Turkey and contribute to recognition of the sport here in Turkey," said Fareed Abrahams, another club official.
In addition to Erzurum, the club officials are due to visit Istanbul and the capital Ankara. Their visit will last through Aug. 14.
