Antalya's Gem Kaleiçi on the Path to UNESCO Status

Governor Hulusi Şahin inspected the cleaning, maintenance, and preservation work being carried out at the historic Hadrian's Gate, one of Antalya's iconic structures. After the inspection, Governor Şahin met with the press and announced that an important step has been taken towards including the Kaleiçi area in the Tentative List for World Cultural Heritage.

The historic Hadrian's Gate, built in honor of the visit of Roman Emperor Hadrian to Antalya, is being renewed through cleaning, maintenance, and preservation efforts. The project, managed by the Investment Monitoring and Coordination Presidency (YİKOB) and the Department of Natural Resources, Licenses, and Cultural Assets, continues with maintenance and restoration work to address pollution and damage caused by climate changes, environmental pollution, and biological factors.

Three-Phase Plan for Hadrian's Gate

After inspecting the work carried out, Governor Şahin met with the press and stated that Hadrian's Gate had not undergone maintenance and restoration for a long time. "Over the years, there has been significant pollution, staining, and vegetation growth. We are working very carefully to protect our 2000-year-old historical monument. As the Antalya Governorship, we have prepared a three-phase work plan to protect these iconic gates. We are currently working on the first phase. In the first stage, the plants covering the gate were removed. Following this, the gate was cleaned using special plant-preventive lotions and pressure washing. After the cleaning, a delicate cleaning with pure water will be performed. In the final stage, a special coating material will be applied to the stone surfaces," he said.

Antalya's Jewel Kaleiçi on the Way to UNESCO

Governor Şahin emphasized that the Kaleiçi area is one of the most important tourism destinations in Antalya and Turkey. "The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has started working on including Kaleiçi in the Tentative List for World Cultural Heritage. If we can include it in this list, it will be a significant step forward in terms of promotion".

All Our Efforts Are to Ensure Antalya Gets What It Deserves

Governor Şahin noted that Turkey's target for 2024 is 60 million tourists and 60 billion dollars in tourism revenue. "The flagship of Turkish tourism is Antalya. Antalya will host about one-third of the 60 million tourists. This is a very significant number, and we will continue to fulfill our responsibilities to achieve this goal. Tourism is a very dynamic process. We can encounter some negative issues, such as the FTI incident and seasonal fluctuations. Last week, we had a detailed meeting with Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Mr. Abdulkadir Uraloğlu and Minister of Culture and Tourism Mr. Mehmet Nuri Ersoy. During this meeting, we discussed all aspects of tourism, including the delays at Antalya Airport. We are fighting to ensure that Turkey and Antalya get their deserved share of the tourism pie. We will overcome all obstacles one by one to reach our goal.”