TOURISM SEASON OPENS WITH OLYMPIC FIRE IN KEMER
The tourism season was opened in Kemer, Antalya, with the transfer of the torch lit at Yanartaş, where the torch of the first Olympics was lit, to Çıralı beach during a 9-kilometer nature walk.
A nature walk was organized in Kemer as part of the event organized by the Kemer Governorship under the name 'Çıralı Nature Fest'. Governor Ahmet Solmaz, Governor's Intern Uğur Almalı, District Gendarmerie Commander Major Ömer Seyhan, District Police Chief Furkan Gediktaş, Beydağları Coastal National Park Director Uğur Torunoğlu, institution directors, Nature Conservation and National Park teams, Forestry Operations Directorate teams, gendarmerie teams, mukhtars, Kemer Search and Rescue (KEMKUT) teams, NGO representatives and citizens attended the 9-kilometer nature walk.
The event, which lasted approximately 3.5 hours, started in Ulupınar Neighborhood. Local historian Ramazan Kar provided information about Yanartaş to the walking team of approximately 150 people who came to Yanartaş in Çıralı, which is known as the place where the Olympic fire was first lit. The torch, lit with the eternal flame that has been burning for approximately 2,500 years, was handed over to Governor Ahmet Solmaz. Later, the group that came to Çıralı beach was greeted with folk dance performances by students. After the show, Governor Solmaz opened the tourism season by burning the wood in the area with the torch brought from Yanartaş.
HELD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ÇIRALI
Speaking at the end of the event, Governor Ahmet Solmaz said, “In order to make our other months, other than the summer period, more effective in terms of developing sustainable tourism, we were planning various events and activities to take advantage of the beautiful opportunities and views of nature, which is our most beautiful argument and wealth. Today, we came together for Çıralı Nature Fest, which was held for the first time in Çıralı. We started the day with a beautiful walking event attended by both local people from the district center and Çıralı. Our aim was to ensure that all participants see the beautiful views of the region while trekking. It was also to provide information about the mythological story of Yanartaş in our Çıralı region.”
'IT HAS NEVER GONE OUT FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 THOUSAND YEARS'
Solmaz stated that there is a fire in the Yanartaş region that never goes out and said:
"It is said that the fire in Yanartaş was a dragon named Chimera (Chimaira) living in the mythological age, that this dragon had a goat body, a lion head, a snake tail, and constantly breathed fire from its mouth. Of course, the story is that he fought with a horse named Pegasus, which emerged to prevent the damage it caused to the environment, and finally sent the dragon to the bottom of the earth. The fact that this story has come from the mythological age to the present and that the fire has been burning continuously for approximately 3 thousand years is truly interesting. We used the fire we took from there as the basis for the opening of the tourism season in our region, and we launched it as a beautiful tourism season opening fire in the Çıralı region. We have started planning from today to continue the first Çıralı Nature Fest, which we organized, in a rich way by supporting it with sports activities such as supboard and yoga.”
