World's biggest thematic aquarium in Istanbul a must-see

By Nilay Kar

ISTANBUL, Turkey

 The world's biggest thematic aquarium, Istanbul Akvaryum, allows the visitor from 7 to 70 to sub-merge in an underwater world while taking a 1.2 km excursion in the 16 different themed geographical routes. 

The aquarium in the Florya district of Istanbul has 64 tanks and covers an area of 22,000 square meters with a 6,800 cubic meters water volume.

"There are 1,500 species in the aquarium. We have 15,000 land and sea creatures in total. Our target is to increase this number to 20,000," Dilek Capanoglu, General Coordinator of Istanbul Aquarium told Anadolu Agency (AA).

The 16 varied themes include the Istanbul Strait, Suez Canal, Global Warming, Western Atlantic, Nautilus (Submarine). All themed areas are color coded,  have audio–lighting systems complimentary to the distinct themed area, and have informational visuals in Turkish and English to interact, educate and entertain along the route.

The aquarium is an official member of World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) and it offers a journey which is stimulating which both informs and entertains on the thousands of species of marine life.

"The biggest characteristic feature of our aquarium is that we have a story. Our visitors take a world tour through this story," Capanoglu said.

Istanbul Aquarium is also managed by specialists in their field and in compliance with international standards in every sense. All living creatures in the aquarium continue to live in conditions as near as possible to those of their habitat.

The sea creature's journey to the aquarium from across the globe in areas like America, Africa, Indonesia, Portugal and other parts of Europe also throw an interesting story.

"It is really difficult to bring them here safely as we have to transfer them through big tanks and their timely delivery is very important for us to avert losses," the general coordinator emphasized.

1.2 million people visit the aquarium annually since its founding in April 2011. "We foresee this number will reach 1.5 million in the near future. We generally host a high number of visitors from Arab countries. We also have Europeans, Asians and Americans," Capanoglu noted.

According to the general coordinator of the aquarium, sharks are the most attention-grabbing fish in the facility. "Plecos, bubblefish and Mediterranean morays are the other ones that attract visitors," she added.

The facility also has two 5D cinema theatres. The 15 person theatres offer extra perception of wind, fog, water and the sense of touch apart from the 3D visual effects.

If you need a break on your aquatic journey, you can avail of the three cafés, and a restaurant facing the ‘Panama Canal’ on one side and the sea on the other side.

However, feeding time at the aquarium is also an interesting experience for visitors to watch zebra sharks, nurse sharks, guitar sharks and other sea animals in the main tank, at 11:00 a.m. every day except for Monday.

englishnews@aa.com.tr