Manastır (mah-nahs-tur) means Monastery. Manastır was the old Turkish name for Bitola, the city in the current day Republic of North Macedonia, which is featured in the song. The dance is from Thrace in the Northwestern Turkey. It was first taught in Japan in 2018, and subsequently at the 2019 North-South Folk Dance Teachers Seminar. It was presented by Ahmet Lüleci at the 2020 Stockton Virtual Folk Dance Camp held on Zoom. Dance notes…
