The “International Tarsus Festival,” organized for the second time this year by the Mersin Metropolitan Municipality, began on Friday, November 17, with the participation of many renowned guests. The festival, held in Tarsus, the homeland of the Şahmeran legend, is themed differently each year, and this year it is named ‘Şahmeran.’ The festival, featuring talks, concerts, exhibitions, dance performances, street events, youth experience areas, camping areas, paragliding, bicycle trails, talk shows, children’s workshops, and booths for women producers, will bring people of all ages together for three days.

The grand procession, starting in front of the Şahmeran Statue with a length of 11 meters, continued to envelop the entire city with festival enthusiasm, with the participation of nearly 300 foreign guests from 11 countries on November 18 and 19. The Şahmeran figure, 11 meters long in the festival procession, was brought back to life in its native land as part of the festival.

The performance titled ‘Şahmeran in Tarsus,’ presented by the Mersin State Opera and Ballet on the opening day, enchanted everyone. The Mersin Maturity Institute and the Entrepreneur Business Women’s Association (GİŞKAD) also organized the ‘Şahmeran Legend’ parade, which drew intense interest from participants. Tarsus, experiencing and perpetuating the festival spirit in its streets, avenues, and squares, is hosting an unforgettable festival.

Mersin Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Vahap Seçer, who attended the procession and official opening show, expressed their aim to add a different atmosphere to Tarsus with the festival. Emphasizing the significant contribution of the festival to Tarsus traders and stating that they will continue to work to make Tarsus even more beautiful, Seçer said, “Tarsus is one of the most beautiful and ancient cities in the world. Every part of Tarsus is filled with history, culture, and symbols of world history. Tarsus is a city of civilizations and cultures. It will continue to be so in the future.”

Festival Honor Award to Etem Çalışkan

As part of the 2nd International Tarsus Festival organized by the Mersin Metropolitan Municipality, artist and journalist Etem Çalışkan, the creator of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s signature, was presented with the festival honor award. Etem Çalışkan, who was awarded by Mersin Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Vahap Seçer, expressed his happiness to be in Tarsus and to experience the festival enthusiasm with the people of Tarsus and Mersin, thanking everyone.

Festival Spirit Extending from Day to Night

The 2nd International Tarsus Festival, which started on Friday, November 17, hosted a host of important figures on its first day. The festival, offering a full-day program, welcomed Nebil Özgentürk, Fırat Neziroğlu, Barış İnce, Kaan Yarman, Cabir Çobanoğlu, Buket Uzuner, Ömer Faruk Yılmaz, Çiğdem Odabaşı, and Haldun Açıksözlü with workshops and activities. Folk dance groups from Georgia and the Russian Federation also performed on the first day of the festival. Tarsus Turkish Folk Music and Tarsus Turkish Art Music Associations also took the stage. In addition, youth experience areas, children’s entertainment and game workshops within the festival entertained the youth and little guests of Tarsus to the fullest. The festival spirit, pervading every corner of the city, also brought art exhibitions such as mosaic and oil painting to the public. Ecological markets, paragliding activities, slow food market, bicycle tour route, booths for women producers, and city tours, all held throughout the day, received intense interest. The festival, extending from day to night, concluded its first day with a concert by the famous singer Simge Sağın, providing an unforgettable musical feast for everyone in the city.