The 3rd International Tarsus Festival has started.

The ‘International Tarsus Festival,’ organized for the third time this year by Mersin Metropolitan Municipality, has begun. Citizens of all ages showed great interest in the events held throughout Tarsus, which featured colorful scenes.

The International Tarsus Festival, organized under the slogan ‘In the Footsteps of History, Among Legends,’ kicked off with vibrant visuals. Events held in the streets of Tarsus attracted significant attention from citizens of all ages. The first day of the festival started with live broadcasts by Nihat Sırdar and Güçlü Mete on Kafa Radio. A variety of events, from talks and workshops to gastronomy presentations, dance performances, concerts, and exhibitions, met with citizens throughout the day.

Local flavors on the chefs’ plates

As part of the festival, a gastronomy presentation was held at St. Paul Square under the theme ‘Geographically Indicated Tarsus Products’ to highlight local flavors and ensure sustainability. In a program organized in the area where the historical Tarsus Houses are located, chefs Ege Üzrek and Doğa Huriye Özkaya prepared kuşgözü lahmacun and karakuş dessert, which are among Tarsus’ geographically indicated products, with their own interpretations. The chefs also interpreted their dishes using products unique to Tarsus.

The program, which was also attended by Meral Seçer, the Chairperson of the Mersin Women’s Cooperative Board, featured the promotion of the Mersin Blood Orange, which has received geographical indication certification. Mersin Blood Orange was also used in the delicious dishes prepared by the chefs. Meral Seçer, who briefly assisted the chefs, provided information about the work of the Mersin Women’s Cooperative.

The stories of local flavors were shared

Esin Erkoç and Ayşe Aydın explained the city’s gastronomy under the theme ‘Tarsus Local Food Stories.’ Ayşe Aydın from the village of Hacıhamzalı in Tarsus prepared Leppe, one of the delicious dishes of the Yörük culture, in front of the participants. Esin Erkoç shared the making and ingredients of Leppe. Continuing her presentation in a question-and-answer format, Erkoç engaged the audience with an entertaining presentation. Esin Erkoç and Ayşe Aydın offered a selection from Tarsus’s local food culture to the audience, who listened attentively.

Famous illustrators at the festival

As part of the festival, a ‘Comic Book Workshop’ was organized for students at the Tarsus Values Contributors (TADEKA) building. Cartoonist and illustrator Güneri İçoğlu first explained the world of cartoons to the children theoretically and then conducted a workshop where the children could freely draw whatever came to their minds. Another workshop for children held at the TADEKA building was a ‘Cartoon Workshop,’ where cartoonist İpek Özsüslü met with the children.

Artist Seçil Coşkun, known for her ‘Woolen Works,’ met with citizens

Seçil Coşkun, an artist known for her ‘Woolen Works,’ conducted a ‘Sustainable Wool Art Workshop’ at the Misak-ı Milli Building. The workshop, which aimed to create eco-friendly designs with natural materials, focused on felting art. Coşkun demonstrated how felt could be processed and what types of designs could be made with this material. Participants learned to create different designs such as vests, slippers, and bags from felt alongside Coşkun.

Philosophy enthusiasts gathered for a discussion

A ‘Human Philosophy’ discussion was held in a historic building reflecting the spirit of Tarsus, attended by curious people of all ages. The discussion, which took place at the Gözlükule Excavation House, was chaired by Prof. Dr. Zehragül Aşkın from Mersin University, with speakers including Prof. Dr. Betül Çotuksöken from Maltepe University, Prof. Dr. Cengiz Çakmak from Istanbul University, Prof. Dr. Harun Tepe from Hacettepe University, and Prof. Dr. Cengiz Mesut Tosun from Mersin University. The discussion, which covered the views of many philosophers from Aristotle to Plato, concluded with questions and answers from philosophy lovers.

Yarenlik Area was enlivened with dance groups from different countries

Events continued throughout the day at Yarenlik Area and Culture Park. In Yarenlik Area, colorful dance performances were held by the Adana Metropolitan Municipality Conservatory Folk Dance Group, the Balarins Di Buje team from Italy, the Music Dance Group from Lithuania, the Poleno Dance Group from Slovakia, and the Gaitani Folklore Dance Team from Bulgaria. The Sternovjan Music Group from the Czech Republic also gave a concert. Various activities for children and adults were organized at the stands set up in Culture Park.