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 held in Kemer as part of the 'Çıralı Nature Fest' event organized by the Kemer Governorate. Governor Ahmet Solmaz, Governor Intern Uğur Almalı, District Gendarmerie Commander Major Ömer Seyhan, District Police Chief Furkan Gediktaş, Beydağları Coast National Park Director Uğur Torunoğlu, institution directors, Nature Conservation and National Park teams, Forestry Management Chief 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. Approximately 150 people came to Yanartaş in Çıralı, known as the place where the Olympic fire was first lit, and local historian Ramazan Kar provided information about Yanartaş. The torch, lit with the unextinguished fire known to have 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 lit the wood in the area with the torch brought from Yanartaş, opening the tourism season.

ORGANIZED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ÇIRALI

Speaking at the end of the event, Governor Ahmet Solmaz said, “In order to make our other months, apart from the summer season, 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 asset. Today, we came together for the Çıralı Nature Fest, which was held for the first time in Çıralı. We started the day with a beautiful walking event attended by both the 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, located in the Çıralı region.”

'IT HAS NEVER BEEN EXTINGUISHED FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 THOUSAND YEARS'

Solmaz stated that there is an unextinguished fire in the Yanartaş region and said:

“It is stated that the fire in Yanartaş was a dragon named Kimera (Chimaira) living in the mythological age, that this dragon had a goat body and a lion's head, a snake's tail, and constantly breathed fire from its mouth. Of course, there is a story that Pegasus, an horse, fought to prevent the damage it caused to the environment, and eventually sent the dragon to the bottom of the earth. The fact that this story has come from the mythological age to the present day and that the fire has been burning continuously for about 3 thousand years is truly interesting. Taking the fire we took from there as the basis for the opening of the tourism season in our region, we promoted 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.”