SANLIURFA, Turkey
Turkey’s Halfeti district of southeastern Sanliurfa province attracts visitors with its artificial coast, historical sunken city and endemic roses throughout the year.
Halfeti was included in the quiet city network of the Cittaslow International Coordination Committee in 2013 with its calm and peaceful features. Hosting Birecik dam lake, Halfeti seems like a coastal place although it is located in the country’s southeastern steppes.
Visitors can take boat tours in the dam lake and take the opportunity to see the sunken city Rumkale, which was home to many civilizations, and the Savasan Quarter, where abandoned old buildings are located.
Local and foreign tourists can also visit endemic black roses grown in greenhouses near Birecik dam.
Rise in number of tourists
Halfeti welcomed nearly 600,000 visitors in 2018 and the number has already reached 800,000 this year, Mayor Seref Albayrak told Anadolu Agency.
"These figures indicate that we are approaching our target of attracting one million tourists," Albayrak said.
Albayrak added that they managed to raise the tourism standards as well as promote the district successfully.
"The greenhouses of black roses, one of the important symbols of Halfeti, were built with the instruction of municipality and opened to visitors," Albayrak added.
* Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur
