The festival excitement has begun in Karacasu.

The 35th Karacasu Afrodisias Culture, Art and Promotion Festival started with a parade in the Karacasu district of Aydın.

The 35th Karacasu Afrodisias Culture, Art and Promotion Festival and the 742nd Dedebağ Keşkek Charity events organized by the Karacasu Municipality have begun. Yesterday evening, after a parade held with the participation of District Governor Mehmet Gündoğdu, Republican People’s Party Aydın Deputy Evrim Karakoz, Mayor Mustafa Büyükyapıcı, district protocol members, and citizens, accompanied by the Aydın Metropolitan Municipality Band, an opening ceremony was held in the district square. After a Zeybek dance performance and a poem reading by Karacasulu poet Altınöz, a 6.5-meter tall tahini pide was served to citizens by protocol members.

“The festival is of great importance in promoting our district”
In his speech at the opening ceremony, Karacasu Mayor Mustafa Büyükyapıcı stated that the festival is of great importance for the promotion of the district, saying, “Our charming district Karacasu, where leather, iron, dough, clay, and marble come to life, will once again experience a great festival enthusiasm through both promotion and cultural events. Karacasu, the home of the ancient city of Afrodisias, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, with its centuries-old pottery kilns, 2,500-year-old sculpture school, marbles, geographically marked pide, world-famous plateaus, historic houses, and protected streets, is as much our love as it is the apple of Aydın’s eye. Welcome to our festival organized to pass on this cultural wealth and heritage to future generations and to introduce it to the whole world. You have given us great pride. It would honor us to see everyone in our festival, which will unite citizens living in Aydın and surrounding provinces and districts, as well as Karacasulu compatriots living outside the district, together with the district people. Our festival will be filled with rich cultural activities and art shows. Participants will have the opportunity to meet local artists and artworks. They will have the chance to get to know the historical and cultural values of Karacasu more closely. We also invite everyone to our 742nd Dedebağ Keşkek Charity, which we will hold this Sunday at our Dedebağ Plateau with the contributions of our Karacasulu compatriots and philanthropists from all over the country,” he said.

“The district where leather, iron, dough, clay, and marble come to life”
Karacasu District Governor Mehmet Gündoğdu, in his speech, stated, “Festivals are held to promote, preserve and pass on the social, cultural, and historical structure of the places they are held. The 35th Afrodisias Festival, named after Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty, is one of the leading centers of architecture, art, sculpture, and worship in the Ancient Age; it showcases the historical and tourism potential of our district to nations around the world on a national and international scale, serving as an important bridge in culture and tourism, and is the window of our district to the world. In 2017, Afrodisias was included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List, where extraordinary sculptures and reliefs were produced in the sculpture workshops, and this ancient city has also hosted famous sculpture schools while exporting its sculptures worldwide, successfully shaping ancient art. Promoting the best-preserved Roman city of the Caria Region, Afrodisias, to people living in different geographies of the world, the inclusion of this ancient city in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and ensuring that these festivals find a place in local and national media as well as social platforms greatly contribute to Turkish tourism, which is considered an industry without a chimney. The most important share in passing the pottery created from clay mud, which connects Afrodisias and Karacasu through love and beauty to future generations, will belong to these festivals. The 742nd Dedebağ Keşkek Charity, held at the Tomb of Dedebağ Dede, which is thought to have contributed to the Turkification of Anatolia and is a beautiful example of solidarity and mutual aid, will contribute to the promotion of our district and the strengthening of our feelings of brotherhood, unity, and togetherness. I would like to thank our Mayor Mustafa Büyükyapıcı and all the philanthropists who contributed to this festival held in Karacasu, where leather, iron, dough, clay, and marble come to life. I also wish good fun to all the citizens participating in our festival and Dedebağ Charity, and I extend my respects,” he stated.

“I invite everyone to see the riches of Karacasu”
Emphasizing the importance of festivals for solidarity, integration, and promotion, Republican People’s Party Aydın Deputy Evrim Karakoz said, “Aydın is referred to as the most beautiful land under the sky. Karacasu is one of the most beautiful places in our Aydın. A place where leather, iron, dough, clay, and marble, and history come to life. We attended the opening of the festival, which has been continuing for 35 years, and we hope it goes on for many more years. I invite everyone to see the riches of Karacasu. And I say come, you won’t regret it.”

After the opening ceremony, an art exhibition by Karacasulu artist Dr. Muammer Atıcı was inaugurated. Stalls opened by local and guest tradespeople in the district were visited.

On the second day of the festival, the Aydın Metropolitan Municipality Conservatory Orchestra and the concert of Necati and Saykolar will take place. On the morning of the third day, the 742nd Dedebağ charity will be held at Dedebağ Plateau. After the Afrodisias tour, the guest of the public concert on the last night of the festival will be the Ayna Group.