A French biker intends to pedal across Turkey from the picturesque northeast to the glittering Mediterranean in the south as part of a worldwide bicycling expedition to raise awareness of climate change.
Nabil Ennasri, a 41-year-old French national of Moroccan heritage, started his bicycling trip in Paris and is scheduled to conclude it in the Saudi Arabian holy city of Mecca.
Ennasri said he was eager to follow the ancient route taken by Muslim pilgrims when he entered Türkiye from the Turkish city of Edirne, which is located west of Istanbul.
The cyclist told Anadolu Agency (AA) that he got on his bike on April 22 and reached Türkiye after crossing through 10 countries. He added that he sleeps in a trailer that his friends drive behind him and has already traveled 2,850 kilometers (1,771 miles).
“My goal is to warn people, particularly the Muslim community, about global warming and about the fact that we have to face this most important challenge of our generation,” he explained.
Ennasri described his feelings upon arriving at Edirne as follows: “As a young boy, I was highly interested in the history of the Ottoman Empire – especially, Fatih Sultan Mehmed, also known as Mehmed the Conqueror (Fatih), who is famous for his 1453 conquest of Istanbul, which became the Ottoman capital, and is now a major metropolis and commercial hub.”
Praising Edirne’s Selimiye Mosque, he called it “one of the most beautiful mosques in Türkiye and an important Islamic heritage site.”
“So, history is going to speak to me now personally. Hence, I am living every moment of the historical Ottoman Empire, which played a great role in Muslim history.”
Ennasri will continue to the Mediterranean province of Antalya in the south before boarding a flight to Jordan to continue his journey.
