Organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to contribute to Türkiye's international brand value, the Turkish Culture Road Festivals are meeting enthusiasts once again with more inclusive events in five cities this year. The Culture Road Festivals will be held in Istanbul, Ankara, Çanakkale, Diyarbakır and Konya provinces on Sept. 16 - Oct. 23.

Türkiye's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has been preserving and maintaining cultural heritage as a whole with its tangible and intangible efforts that are showcased to the world through the many important strategic events throughout the year. Among these events, the Culture Road Festivals aim to draw attention to the cultural, architectural and historical heritage of the cities where they are organized and to introduce different cultural experiences.

The first of the Turkish Culture Road Festivals was organized for the first time in Istanbul last year under the name "Beyoğlu Culture Road Festival." The Beyoğlu festival kicked off its second edition at the beginning of this year as the Başkent Culture Road Festival was also held simultaneously in the Turkish capital Ankara. In addition to Istanbul and Ankara, the festivals spreads to Çanakkale, Diyarbakır and Konya now. After three years of feverish work, the festivals are primed to transform their cities into unique attraction centers with more than 3,000 events in diverse fields from art to cinema, literature and dance.

The Turkish Culture Road Festivals were introduced through a press conference held at the iconic Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) on Sept. 6. Speaking at the conference, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy stated that they are organizing a culture and art festival that is decisive in terms of international travel and attracts a serious number of guests. "With the Türkiye Culture Road Festivals, we both revive the cultural routes of our cities and make culture and art accessible to everyone. We will add Izmir to the festival cities next year. We will also include the Adana Orange Blossom Carnival within the scope of the festivals," he added.

Stating that the Turkish Culture Road Festivals draw attention to the cultural, architectural and historical heritage of the cities through their routes, Minister Ersoy underlined that the activities on the cultural routes are as important as the events. Emphasizing that they add a new spirit to the venues on the festival routes, he said, "While creating the cultural routes in our cities, we are restoring our culturally significant venues. We also create a culture and art ecosystem by involving everyone from galleries to foundations, research institutions and antique dealers on that route. Even though the festivals end on these routes, the spirit of the festival remains and culture and arts investments and projects continue. This is exactly what we aim for. The historical and cultural elements that we highlight are turning into highly original attractions."

The festivals, which span more than a month, will bring together everyone, whether aged 7 or 70, with numerous art events from different disciplines. They will host nearly 15,000 artists in both free and ticketed events. During the festival, there will be special events for children and families with children, as well as activities that will arouse interest in gastronomy.

Troy legend revives

The Troy Culture Road Festival, which will take place in Çanakkale between Sept.16 and 25, will bring together more than 100 events consisting of exhibitions, concerts, talks and workshops with art lovers. More than 1,000 artists will take part in the events to be held in over 40 venues. Bearing the traces of Troy, Lydia, Rome, the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish republic periods, Çanakkale will offer different experiences to all Çanakkale residents and everyone who crosses the Bosporus for 10 days.

As part of the festival, locals will have the opportunity to watch the Turkish dance company Fire of Anatolia's "Troy" show, directed by Mustafa Erdoğan, at the Anadolu Hamidiye Bastion Open Air Stage. The bastion will also host three tenor concerts performed by the State Opera and Ballet and the musical of the "Hisseli Harikalar Kumpanyası" ("Shared Wonders Company"), to be performed by the Samsun State Opera and Ballet. In addition, a video mapping show of the legend of Troy, which will be held at the Troy Museum, will provide a visual feast for the audience. The film "Bağlılık Hasan" (Commitment Hasan"), which made its world premiere at the 74th Cannes Film Festival last year, will be screened at the Çanakkale Naval Museum after an interview with director Semih Kaplanoğlu. The opening of the Çanakkale War Research Center will also take place during the festival, where many films about the Gallipoli campaign will also be screened.

Metropolis, capital

Both the Beyoğlu and Başkent festivals will be held at the same time between Oct. 1-23 in Istanbul and Ankara, respectively. More than 6,000 artists across 46 different venues will meet with art lovers in more than 1,000 events during the Beyoğlu Culture Road Festival. AKM, the heart of the festival, will host the people of Istanbul on their cultural and artistic journey with all its halls. The world-famous Spanish musician Buika, who gave a concert as part of the Başkent Culture Road in May this year, will perform an unforgettable gig at the AKM Opera Hall as part of the Beyoğlu Culture Road this time around. In addition to the songs of Buika at the AKM Opera Hall, folk music melodies will be presented to listeners with a concert by the famous artist Yavuz Bingöl and Iranian artist Ali Rıza Ghorbani. In the AKM Gallery, artist Devrim Erbil's solo exhibition will be opened.

Moreover, one of the most assertive exhibitions of the festival will be opened at Tophane-i Amire Tek Kubbe Hall. An exhibition of manuscripts by literary figures including Behçet Necatigil, Oğuz Atay, Tomris Uyar and Orhan Pamuk will be showcased for enthusiasts.

Atlas Cinema and Istanbul Cinema Museum will host an exhibition on Stanley Kubrick, the director of cult films. An antique festival and auctions will be held in the Çukurcuma neighborhood. The renovated Tarık Zafer Tunaya Art Gallery will be the scene of different meetings, from an exhibition of the photomarathon event, which is open to all amateur or professional photography lovers, to photography workshops involving children. Children will also enjoy the festival with the Puppet Festival, plays and children's workshops included in the program.

Başkent Festival will also offer a rich culture and art environment. Ankara residents and locals in the surrounding cities will be treated to a unique culture and art experience for 23 days with various events from concerts to exhibitions, sports competitions and interviews. "Göbeklitepe Opera," inspired by Göbeklitepe, which dates back 12,000 years and is described as the "zero point of history" in southeastern Şanlıurfa province and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, will meet enthusiasts at the Grand Theater in Ankara.

The culture and art island of the capital, CSO ADA ANKARA, will host special events throughout the festival. Among them are the "Carmina Burana" concert that will be staged by the Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and the State Polyphonic Choir, the United Nations special concert, a gig by British singer Yusuf Islam and a performance by the U.S. artist Della Miles.

CerModern will open its doors to the Ankara Jazz Festival, the Grand Theater will host the ballet "Carmen," and the Ankara Mevlevi House will offer a gig by the Konya Turkish Sufi Music Ensemble. The non-fungible token (NFT) exhibition of young artists at Tiftik Evi (Mohair House) will bring a new dimension to digital art. At the same time, a series of activities ranging from archery training to ancient bread making will be held in the Roman Bath. The festival enthusiasm will be multiplied with the celebrations of the Seymen (a rank in the Seljuk military) procession, to be held on Oct. 13 due to the 99th anniversary of Ankara's becoming the capital.

Balloons in Mesopotamia

Between Oct. 8 and 16, peace pigeons will be released during the Diyarbakır Sur Culture Road Festival. With more than 2,000 artists and 500 events, Türkiye's cultural and artistic richness will be carried from Diyarbakır to the world. In the performances by Kurdish musicians known as "dengbej" and the Presidential Symphony Orchestra, Turkish, Kurdish and Armenian songs will be sung.

Cappadocia's balloons will fly over Diyarbakır, adding a pop of color to the festival, with the opportunity to take part in a sky observation event from Keçiburnu Terrace. The digital installation "Renaissance Dreams," prepared by Refik Anadol with Renaissance works, will be presented to viewers at the Saint George Art Center while an exhibition by painter Ismail Acar will be on display at the Surp Giragos Church.

Mystical music

The 19th International Konya Mystical Music Festival, which is included in the Turkish Culture Road Festivals, will also take art lovers to different worlds. In the festival, which will be held between Sept. 22 and 30 as part of the 815th anniversary of the birth of Sufi philosopher Mevlana Jalaladdin Rumi, musicians Cengiz Özkan from Türkiye, Jordi Savall from Spain, the El-Hadra Ensemble from Egypt, Teyyub Aslanov from Azerbaijan, Pera Ensemble from Germany, Nasiba Abdullayeva from Uzbekistan, Dhruv Sangari from India and Hesameddin Seraj from Iran will perform at the Selcuklu Congress Center. At the festival, which has become the meeting point of mystical music from various parts of the world, the people of Konya and those living in the surrounding cities will enjoy various types of music through open-air concerts.

For more detailed information about the events that will take place within the scope of the festivals, you can visit https://www.kulturyolufestivalleri.com/.