This year’s Culture Road Festival, organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to enhance Türkiye’s international brand value, has reached its seventh stop in the central Anatolian province of Nevşehir, home to Capadoccia, one of the country’s most visited tourist destinations.

Hosting the Türkiye Culture Road Festival for the second time, Nevşehir will be vibrant with concerts, exhibitions, workshops, discussions, gastronomy experiences and activities for all ages. The festival, which began on Aug. 3, will be open to visitors of all ages over nine days, with more than 500 events at nearly 40 venues.

The festival, which will host artwork of a thousand artists, kicked off with the attendance of Culture and Tourism Deputy Minister Gökhan Yazgı, Nevşehir Member of Parliament Filiz Kılıç, Nevşehir Governor Ali Fidan, Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Living Heritage and Cultural Events Department General Director and Türkiye Culture Road Festival Director Selim Terzi.

The opening also featured the start of the award-winning photography marathon event, which brings together photography enthusiasts.

"We have shared many special moments with thousands of people at Türkiye Culture Road Festivals. Over the next nine days, we hope to create beautiful moments and memories with our citizens, tourists, and valuable guests from neighboring provinces in Nevşehir," Deputy Minister Yazgı said at the opening ceremony.

"Nevşehir is one of our country's gateways to the world, having hosted many civilizations. We hope this festival will significantly contribute to promoting and enhancing tourism in Nevşehir," the Nevşehir governor also said during the opening ceremony.

Following the opening, Yazgı and his delegation visited the "From Sketch to Pixel: Anatolia Edition" digital art exhibition and "Naci Al-Ali's Hanzala" exhibition, featuring the renowned Palestinian cartoonist's iconic "Hanzala" character, at Capadoccia University. They also explored Asaf Erdemli’s "Legend at the Peak" exhibition at Constantine and Helena (Eleni) Church, "Sabri Berkel Painting Exhibition" at Güray Museum, and renowned Turkish artist Refik Anadol's "Machine Hallucinations: Coral Dreams" data sculpture at the Virgin Mary Church.

Naji al-Ali's work

One of the exhibitions also featured a symbol of Palestinian resistance to decades of Israeli occupation and violence in the occupied territories.

The pieces on display featured Naji al-Ali’s famous Hanzala character.

Hanzala is one of the prominent national symbols and figures of the Palestinian people. The character was created by Naji al-Ali in 1969 and took its current form in 1973. Hanzala became the signature of al-Ali’s cartoons and continues to exist as an iconic symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance.

The character is described as "depicting war, resistance, and Palestinian identity with striking clarity." The name comes from the "Hanizal" plant, native to the Palestinian region, which bears bitter fruit, regenerates when cut, and has deep roots. Following al-Ali's assassination in 1987, Hanzala's influence persisted; today, the character enjoys widespread popularity representing the Palestinian people and can be found on many walls and buildings in the West Bank (especially as graffiti art on the West Bank Barrier), Gaza, and other Palestinian refugee camps, as well as being a popular motif for tattoos and jewelry.

The featured works are provided by Naji al-Ali’s wife and son.

Refik Anadol's installation

"Machine Hallucinations: Coral Dreams" by Refik Anadol is an artificial reality simulation based on a comprehensive dataset of coral images, aimed at highlighting the urgency of climate change.

This site-specific Data Sculpture, which was also exhibited at the World Economic Forum 2023, is inspired by the ocean environment and the plight of the coral reefs. It uses approximately 100 million coral images as raw data and emphasizes the preservation and sustainability of corals. With this work, Anadol hopes to bring attention to an urgent environmental reality by creating an artificial ocean environment: the impact of climate change on coral die-offs.

This interdisciplinary initiative seeks to utilize the power of cutting-edge data visualization and machine learning techniques to craft 3D printed Al Data Sculptures that closely resemble actual corals, aiming to aid in the restoration of oceanic systems.

Tango Buenos Aires

As part of the festival, the "Tango Buenos Aires" concert, performed by the State Polyphonic Choir and the Presidential Symphony Orchestra in the stunning atmosphere of Paşabağları Valley, provided an unforgettable experience for attendees.

Under the direction of choir conductor Burak Onur Erdem, the State Polyphonic Choir, and the Presidential Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Cemi’i Can Deliorman, performed Martin Palmeri’s tango composition "Tango Buenos Aires." The concert, part of the Cultural Route Festival, took place on the evening of Aug. 3 in the breathtaking Paşabağları Valley in Cappadocia.

Sabri Berkel's paintings

Sabri Berkel, a pioneering figure in Turkish painting, sought to blend East and West, tradition and modernity, as well as art and craft through assimilation, customization, localization, and socialization. Born in 1907 in Skopje, then part of the Ottoman Empire, Berkel studied art in Belgrade and Florence before returning to Türkiye in 1935 to teach at the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts.

Initially focused on realistic and figurative works, Berkel's style evolved to embrace abstraction and cubism by the early 1950s, incorporating local and folkloric influences. His abstract works, particularly from the late 1960s, are noted for their balance of line, color, rhythm, and form. Influenced by Anatolian traditions and Western techniques, Berkel aimed to create a universal visual culture. Honored as a State Artist in 1991, he passed away in 1993. The exhibition "Sabri Berkel and a Selection of Turkish Painting from His Period" showcases his work alongside contemporaries like Aliye Berger and Bedri Rahmi Eyüpoglu, illustrating the diverse stylistic trends in Turkish painting.

The festival will be welcoming local and international visitors until Aug. 11.