The Culture Route Festival will take over the historic city centre of Diyarbakir with its 9 days of free concerts, gastronomy experiences, theatre performances, exhibitions and cultural activities from Oct. 10 to 18 in Diyarbakir’s historical sites and public places.

The festival, organised by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, will be held for the fifth time in Diyarbakir, and will be hosted at various locations in the city, such as the historic walled centre, the Ickale Museum Complex and cultural centres.

“It would present the centuries-old culture of the city and modern art events together and would help local traditions, producers and culinary specialities be accessible to a wider audience,” Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said.

Ersoy noted that Diyarbakir is still maintaining and transmitting its thousands-year-old cultural heritage, as well as enhancing the cultural tourism capacity of the city.

Diyarbakir Showcases Its Rich Culinary Heritage

Gastronomy will be a central theme of this year’s festival, as over 40 food stops are planned to provide visitors with an opportunity to delve into the local cuisine of Diyarbakir, including traditional foods, kebabs, desserts and local specialities.

The culinary program, which will be organised by the Restaurant Owner Gamze Cizreli, will gather chefs and food writers such as Omur Akkor and Ersan Yilmaz, who are recognised by the Michelin Guide, Mahir Nazlican, Cigdem Seferoglu, Burcu Onal, Gokhan Ali Camkerten and Emre Murat.

Food culture researcher and writer Silva Ozyerli, gastronomy journalist Ebru Erke and Muge Akgun will likewise be part of the program, as well as Emine Tunadan.

In addition to tasting, guests will be able to take part in traditional cooking classes and get advice from chefs on the culinary heritage of the city.

Free Music and Cultural Shows Bring the City Alive

Free concerts will be held throughout the festival in Nevruz Park, to be performed by Hakan Altun, Mert Demir, Sefo, Sagopa Kajmer, Poizi, Derya Ulug, Bengu, Murat Boz and Fatma Turgut.

In addition, the program will provide theatrical performances and musical shows at various locations such as Kayapinar Cultural Centre, Orhan Asena Stage of Diyarbakir State Theatre, and Cahit Sitki Taranci Cultural Centre.

Several of the programs on the schedule include “Yalancinin Mumu”, “Istanbul’un Son Beyzadeleri”, “Oteki Ankara Muzikali”, “Ibis’in Ruyasi” and “Askin Sen Hali”, as well as performances geared towards younger audiences.

A concert of the Diyarbakir State Classical Turkish Music and Civilisations Choir titled “Anadolu’dan Miras” (Heritage from Anatolia) will be held at Cahit Sitki Taranci Cultural Centre, and also the “Seventh Corps Regional Military Band” will provide entertainment at the same venue.

Historic Sites Turn Into Vibrant Exhibition Spaces

The city’s historical and architectural heritage will be the theme of the FotoMaraton Diyarbakir and the FotoMaraton Children, photography activities that will ask participants to take pictures of the cultural aspects of the city.

Visitors can enjoy exhibitions, workshops and a discussion on traditional Islamic calligraphy (husn-i hat) and famous calligrapher Hamid Aytac during their visit to the Diyarbakir Archaeology Museum.

Families can enjoy entertainment at the Children’s Village on Yenikapi Hancepek Square such as Karaoke Caravan, traditional sports activities under the EthnoSport program, the Aselsan Children’s Festival and a visiting pony club.

During the nine-day festival, there will also be numerous other exhibitions.

Honouring Poet Cahit Sitki Taranci in His Hometown

The festival will mark the 70th anniversary of the death of one of Diyarbakir’s famous poets, Cahit Sitki Tarancı.

The former house of Cahit Sitki Tarancı, which is the House Ethnography Museum today, will host a performance named ‘Gun Eksilmesin Penceremden’ in the commemoration program.

Ersoy said that the mission of the festival is not just to organise cultural activities, but also to promote the city’s cultural heritage and hand it down to the younger generations, and to introduce people to the unique face of the city.