(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - An exhibition at the Archaeological Museum of Thessalonilki in Greece aims to foster dialogue for mutual respect and understanding with the various Islamic communities of Europe.

The exhibition - part of the "Our Shared Europe" program - traces the journeys of a 17th century traveler, Evliya Çelebi, and his Book of Travels .

Çelebi (1611 – 1682) was an Ottoman Turkish traveler who journeyed through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years.

Inspired by a dream, he set out on a real life journey that simultaneously became a spiritual quest through the Ottoman Empire, which in those days extended from the depths of Anatolia to Europe and Northern Africa. He gathered his adventure in The Book of Travels also known as Seyahatname. To this day a trained ear can hear how cities such as onstantinople, London, Cairo and Vienna echo with these narratives, which take us back to an age when ideas began to be exchanged.

This exhibition concerns exchange and mutual respect, the manner in which stories are created, and the constant dialogue between the Islamic communities and the cities of Europe.

Valuable contributors to the exhibition include: Khalili Art Collection, Suki Chan, Royal Academy of Music, Adam Williamson, Mercan Dede, Emre Araci, Bethnal Green Library, Caroline Finkel, Donna Laundry, Gerald Maclean, Nabil Matar, Suraiya Faroqhi, Doris Behrens-Abouseif, and Owen Wright.

The exhibition is open from Tuesday-Sunday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM from Tuesday, 24 January until 17 February

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