Alanya – 15th International Tourism and Art Festival
- Written by Portal Editor
Alanya – There was cause for celebration in Alanya once again, as the 15th International Tourism and Art Festival drew large crowds of locals and tourists alike over the weekend to the specially constructed "tent city" at the Alanya harbour.
We headed to the harbour in the early afternoon; behind the municipal administration building, we first came across rehearsals for that evening's headline act on the main stage. A famous Turkish pop star is appearing in Alanya on each of the three nights.
While some guests were setting off on an evening boat trip around the castle hill taking in the impressive lighthouse, the Red Tower, and the historic shipyard ........
....... others were already busy preparing for the rush on the various local delicacies. Some stalls offered Gözleme, while others had concocted interesting fruit cocktails.
We met, among others, the young man in the background of the photo (wearing green overalls); he was showcasing a medieval ship model made from hundreds of handcrafted wooden parts a model destined to have its own exhibition pavilion in Alanya in the future.
Against the backdrop of tourist boats "disguised" as pirate ships, various performers were posing as motionless living statues such as this one portraying Charlie Chaplin.
Having returned from a performance on another stage, this dance troupe clad in historical costumes gathered for a group photo against the backdrop of the ships in the harbour.
A little later, we came across this fantasy character. It wasn't entirely clear to us who the performer was supposed to be portraying. However, framing the shot to include the olive bush seemed quite fitting. A view of Alanya’s old harbour basin at dusk.
Photographs of Alanya and its immediate surroundings showing the harbour town before it was built up were on display along the waterfront. They served as impressive historical records of a long-forgotten era around the turn of the last century a time that was quiet yet marked by poverty. Opposite this display was an alleyway featuring modern photography by various artists from across Turkey.
Next to the discos, another stage had been set up where up-and-coming artists could perform. Here, a young singer and her band (we were unable to catch their name) were performing songs by the Scorpions, among others.
By now, darkness had fallen, so we headed back to the main stage, where a huge crowd had already gathered to hear the evening's star performer. We took a moment to soak up the atmosphere around the pirate ships in the harbour; with their eerie beauty, they reflect a great deal about both the region's past and its present.
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