Sirkhane Social Circus School

17/04/2026

Our Flying Carpet Festival is on it way with 40 artists coming from 20 countries. Please help us bring this dream to reality: https://donate.flyingcarpetfestival.org

10/04/2026

Our dear father of our circus Sirkhane, Abu Khaled (Khayri Kasem)

Once, the children called you “Abu Sirk” because you became a father to every child who arrived at Sirkhane. You carried the gentleness of a teacher and the strength of a man who rebuilt his life with love. From Syria to here, you didn’t just arrive, you rooted yourself in us.

You listened, you guided, you organized, you cared. You held families together, you made space for joy, and you gave children something beyond shelter, you gave them belonging.

Sirkhane was never just a place for you, it was your home. Your son, your beloved wife Emel, and all of us, we were your family.

Yesterday, we lost you, today, we said goodbye, and still it feels impossible.

In this moment, as the music plays, we see you there on the right side of the video, your hands speaking through the drum, your presence steady and full of life, as if nothing could ever take you away from this place, from us.

We are heartbroken to let you go, but we are endlessly grateful that you were ours.

May your journey into eternity be as kind, generous, and full of light as the life you gave to others.

You will never leave our circus Sirkhane will live in our hearts to eternity🤍🪶🌹

03/03/2026

Huge thanks to the Aga Khan Music Programme and our very own Ozgur Mert for this gorgeous video capturing the magic “The Flying Carpet” brings to refugee communities. ✨

We are so incredibly proud of this moment and want to extend a special thank you to Janet Coperwith for nominating us for this honor. 🙏♥️

At our core, we are a collective of artists dedicated to children living in difficult places. We believe in investing in their future and their boundless curiosity. Because when children are exposed to beauty, their inner light continues to shine, keeping their inner child alive and thriving. 💛

02/03/2026

Thank you very much to the Aga Khan Music Programme for this prestigious award to our founder Sahba Aminikia and for this short video about our festival and what sparked the first idea of it. This is an incredible honor for us, Sirkhane Social Circus School, our donors, friends, and most importantly, our artists from all around the world without whom we would never be possible.

Please support our festival: https://donate.flyingcarpetfestival.org

Sahba Aminikia is a composer who founded and directs the Flying Carpet Festival, a multi-disciplinary traveling arts festival serving Syrian, Turkish and Kur...

22/12/2025

Last night, on the longest night of the year, we gathered to celebrate the Winter Solstice—an ancient reminder that the fire of hope, love, and community burns brightest in the dark. We are so moved to share this beautiful memory from Flying Carpet Festival 2024, featuring a breathtaking Qanun performance by Negar Najibolashrafi from Iran accompanied by the mesmerizing fire artistry of PyròVaghi Duo from Italy. 🎻🔥

As we look toward the future, we invite you to be part of our next journey. Our upcoming Flying Carpet Festival 2026 will take place from August 21st to September 1st, and we truly cannot do it without you. Your support keeps this flame alive. Please remember us, share our story, and help us bring hope to life in 2026.

To Support: https://donate.flyingcarpetfestival.org

Gorgeous video: Özgür Mert (Turkey)

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02/12/2025

🌟 OPEN CALL — FLYING CARPET FESTIVAL 2026 🌟
August 21 – September 1 • Turkish–Syrian Border

🔗 Apply: https://www.flyingcarpetfestival.org/apply

We’re calling artists & volunteers from all around the world to join us in bringing magic to thousands of children living near the border.

Every year, 50+ volunteer artists turn streets, schools, and parks into worlds of music, circus, dance, color, and hope.
Here, art is not a luxury — it’s a lifeline.
And our volunteer artists are the heart of it all.

🎨 WHO CAN APPLY?
Visual & media artists, dancers, musicians, circus performers, storytellers, theatre makers, workshop leaders, designers…
Plus volunteers for logistics, production, kitchen, admin, media & hospitality.
If you believe that every child deserves joy, and you want to be part of something unforgettable — apply now.

🔗 Apply: https://www.flyingcarpetfestival.org/apply

Let’s make magic together. 💛

13/11/2025

It looks like an ordinary moment in the circus class little Habibi trying to learn the hula hoop. But it’s one of the most extraordinary moments in her life, because this is the key to living: you just try. Every time it falls, you start again. And the only way to learn is by trying, and trying again. To do this, you need to stay in the moment, to focus, to be patient and disciplined. No one told this small child about these things, yet she knows them. She has a safe, beautiful, child-friendly space where she can discover all of this through play. These are the hidden jewels of the social circus where life skills are quietly learned in the rhythm of laughter, movement, and trying once more.

12/11/2025

Ali is 13. From Syria. A circus hero. Today, he stood in the garden of Sirkhane and sang “Xerîbim Ez Xerîbim” by Koma Azad — and for a moment, time stopped.The purity of his voice, floating through the air like a prayer, is exactly what Sirkhane and the Flying Carpet are about. Beauty. Courage. Innocence.Thanks to for capturing this moment.

12/11/2025

Here’s another beautiful moment featuring Lydia Umlauf from theUnited States and Vanessa Kourtesi from Greece performing the classic song “I Heard the Bluebirds Sing.” 🎶 arrangement by Hans Blichert from Canada and gorgeous choreography for our Circus Heroes Halit, Refik and Alaadin by Quilan Cue Arnold from United States.

Artists from different parts of the world come together to share joy, music, and connection with children and communities.

Video: Özgür Mert
Mixing: Kyle Hovatter

Check out the full video and sing along! ♥️🥳

12/11/2025

A celebration of balance, trust, and flight—Acrobat is a stunning collaboration between American composer Aaron Kierbel, Canadian circus artist Alexandre Seim, and our beloved Circus Heroes of Sirkhane: Khalid Qasim, Refik Mahmoud, Ziyad Almaqt, Rodi and Ali.

Filmed across the Turkish-Syrian border, this piece is more than a performance—it’s a heartbeat of resilience and joy, where music and circus become one.

Watch the full video and let their leaps and melodies lift you into the air.

Gorgeous video: Özgür Mert
Music Mix: Kyle Hovatter

12/11/2025

Please support our magic carpet and this artistic movement towards democratizing the arts: http://donate.flyingcarpetfestival.org

Our incredible 2023 Amazigh artist-in-residence, Nora Gharyéni ⵏⵓⵔⴰ ⵖⴰⵔⵢⴻⵏⵉ from Tunisia was a phenomenal vocalist and an incredible role model for our children. We feel so lucky to be surrounded by beautiful country from every culture in the world. This is the world that we imagine, in which we all will live in peace and harmony and can enjoy the beauty of every culture as if it is our own. We artists are the people of beauty, love, and magic and nothing can change that for us! ♥️🥳🥰🦄🪄

Gorgeous video: Özgur Mert