#Cittaslow In Turkey

Quiet festival in Halfeti

The Fragrance Festival, which was held for the 5th time this year in the Halfeti district of Şanlıurfa, started with a silent march due to the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş. A Fragrance Festival was held in Halfeti, which is famous for its black roses and included in the 'Calm City' network of the Cittaslow International Coordination Committee with its calm and peaceful feature. The festival, which was held for the 5th time this year in the district, where endemic black rose and many flower species grow in Halfeti as well as its historical and touristic beauties, started quietly. In the festival, where those who lost their lives in the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes are commemorated, the participants continued the 5-kilometer walk from Seldek District to the Batık village Savaşan slopes to smell the endemic 'Mesopotamian hyacinth'. Halfeti Slowfood Leader Nihat Özdal, who made a statement at the end of the walk from Old Halfeti to Savaşan village, said, “We walk when there is nothing to do or think about except remembering. There is mourning in this fragrance festival and all flowers in nature. "Maybe the Mesopotamian Hyacinths have bloomed this year, we are marching to commemorate our losses," he said. Nature volunteer Süleyman Yıldız, tourism professional Canan Onur and student Lale Esen, who participated in the march, also stated that the march was held silently due to the earthquake and offered their condolences to those who lost their lives.