Türkiye’s Culture Route Festival has returned to Mardin with nine days of concerts, exhibitions, theater performances, traditional arts workshops and culinary events aimed at showcasing the southeastern city’s rich cultural heritage and boosting tourism.
The Mardin Culture Route Festival, the 23rd stop on the nationwide program organized by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, runs from Oct. 17-25, featuring 172 events at nine venues across the city. It marks Mardin’s second time hosting the festival.
Speaking at the opening ceremony at the Sakıp Sabancı Mardin City Museum in the Artuklu district, Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Gökhan Yazgı said the city’s historic architecture and cultural diversity reflected Türkiye’s shared heritage, adding that protecting, preserving and promoting these assets remained a central responsibility of the country’s cultural policies.
Yazgı said the festival had grown considerably since it began in a single city in 2021, expanding to 26 cities across Türkiye’s seven geographical regions and becoming one of the world’s longest-running cultural and arts programs.
The Mardin program brings together music, visual arts, theater, discussions, workshops and activities for children. Exhibitions featuring Ottoman sacred relics and traditional crafts will offer visitors opportunities to explore the country’s historical legacy, while the Living Heritage Workshops will bring traditional artistic practices to new generations.
A dedicated Children’s Village will introduce younger visitors to art, creative activities and cultural traditions.
“Culture and art do more than bring people together,” Yazgı said. “They open paths to understanding one another, finding common ground and moving toward the future together.”
Gastronomy takes center stage
Mardin’s culinary traditions are another major focus of the festival, with organizers seeking to introduce the city’s distinctive cuisine to wider domestic and international audiences.
Yazgı highlighted regional dishes such as kaburga dolması, a stuffed lamb rib specialty, and sembusek, a traditional savory pastry, as examples of how Mardin’s cuisine preserves centuries of culinary knowledge shaped by different cultures.
Through the ministry’s Taste Stops project, more than 30 restaurants have been selected to showcase local flavors and help visitors discover the city’s food culture.
The festival’s gastronomy program will also bring together Michelin-starred chefs to discuss Mardin’s culinary heritage, with entrepreneur Gamze Cizreli hosting sessions exploring traditional recipes, regional ingredients and the stories behind local dishes.
Yazgı said the Culture Route Festivals were designed not only to stage cultural events but also to highlight the potential of Turkish cities, expand cultural tourism, support local businesses and strengthen public engagement with the arts.
He added that the influx of visitors during the festival could benefit shopkeepers, accommodation providers and the wider tourism sector. Free events would also make cultural activities accessible to people from different backgrounds.
Referring to the government’s “Terror-Free Türkiye” initiative, Yazgı said continued peace and security would help the region advance economically and socially.
Tourism figures point to continued growth
Mardin Gov. Tuncay Akkoyun said the city’s architectural heritage, traditional crafts, cuisine and culture of coexistence had made it a distinctive destination shaped by centuries of history.
Known for its intricate stonework and the long-standing presence of different religious communities, Mardin is home to mosques, churches and monasteries that reflect its diverse cultural and religious traditions. Several of its heritage sites are included on UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage.
Akkoyun said the city welcomed more than 3 million overnight and day visitors in 2025, a 29% increase from the previous year that set a new tourism record.
The growth has continued into 2026. By the end of September, the number of domestic and international visitors had risen by about 15% compared with the same period in 2025, while foreign visitor numbers had increased by 41%, according to the governor.
The figures demonstrated Mardin’s growing appeal as a tourism destination, Akkoyun said.
During the festival, the city’s streets, squares, historic inns and courtyards will host performances and cultural activities, turning public spaces into venues for music, theater, exhibitions, film screenings, discussions and workshops.
Akkoyun said the event would also reinforce the city’s traditions of tolerance, unity and solidarity.
He linked the expansion of cultural activities to improvements in the region’s security environment, arguing that stability would help create opportunities for investment, tourism and social development.
The government’s Terror-Free Türkiye initiative, he said, was intended to strengthen peace and stability and leave future generations with a safer and more secure country.
Concerts, exhibitions and activities for children
AK Party Mardin lawmaker Faruk Kılıç said the city’s appeal extended beyond its historic buildings to the coexistence of different languages, faiths and cultures.
He said the festival would bring Mardin’s cultural wealth to a broader audience through a program spanning traditional and contemporary arts, performances, exhibitions and public discussions.
Kılıç added that hosting the event would help raise the city’s profile nationally and internationally.
Following the opening ceremony, Yazgı and other officials visited the Living Heritage: Mardin exhibition and the group exhibition at the Bolu Nilgün Tanrıkulu Art Center, both displayed at the Dilek Sabancı Art Gallery inside the Sakıp Sabancı Mardin City Museum.
Speaking to reporters afterward, Yazgı said Mardin’s religious and cultural tourism routes had helped make it a special destination, adding that the city’s streets were filling with visitors and local businesses were benefiting from the activity.
Free concerts at the Mardin Governorship’s Artuklu Fairground will feature Turkish performers Demet Akalın, Serkan Kaya, Ceza, Sefo, Poizi, Simge, Kıraç, Mert Demir and Fatma Turgut.
Young visitors will also have opportunities to take part in the celebrations through activities at July 15 Democracy and Martyrs Park, the Provincial Public Library and the Mardin Museum.