Expo 2016 Antalya Alanı

Expo 2016 Antalya was the first Expo ever hosted by Türkiye. This horticultural exhibition in the A1 category of the Bureau International des Expositions opened on 23 April 2016 and closed on 30 October 2016. Its main theme was "Flowers and Children" and its motto "A Green World for Future Generations"; history, biodiversity, sustainability and green cities were the sub-themes. According to the Metropolitan Municipality, 52 countries took part officially and 3 unofficially. According to the Ministry's closing statement, 4.5 million people visited the exhibition over 191 days, and the Expo flag was handed from Antalya to China. Antalya's role as host was confirmed by the decision taken on 17 September 2009 by the Bureau International des Expositions and the International Association of Horticultural Producers. The preparations were run by the Expo 2016 Antalya Agency, set up under the Expo 2016 Antalya Law enacted on 31 October 2012; the Ministry and the Metropolitan Municipality were also among the organising bodies. After the official closing, the exhibition was extended by two months and stayed open until 31 December 2016. The exhibition site was built in Aksu district, east of the city centre, on a flat plot of 1,121 decares, about 112 hectares. The symbol of the site is the Expo Tower. The 100.7-metre tower was built with a design symbolising Hadrian's Gate. The tower was designed by the architects Serdar Kızıltaş and Zeynep Melike Atay. It stands at the western end of the site, facing the main entrance; its top opens like a three-petalled flower, and from the observation deck there you see the whole site and the Aksu plain, with the Taurus mountains visible in clear weather. With the wide square in front of the tower and the tree-lined walking axes, the site was designed less as a fairground and more as a large city park. The three petals at the top of the tower come from the peony, the symbol flower of the Expo, and the Expo Terrace on the site was built in the shape of the same flower. About 25,000 plants of 120 species were planted on the site for the exhibition, among them an olive tree said to be 945 years old. Expo Lake stretches through the middle of the site; the water shows were held here during the exhibition, and the lakeside is still the shadiest place to rest. Around the lake are Türkiye's first Agriculture and Biodiversity Museum, designed in the shape of an ear of wheat, the congress centre, the large and small amphitheatres, the Expo Greenhouse and the theme trail presenting Türkiye's biodiversity. For children there were the Children's Island and the Children's Science and Technology Centre; for families the country gardens, the mosaiculture plant sculpture area, Expo Hill and Expo Forest were built. The gardens of the participating countries, the houses some countries built in their own architecture and the glass bridge on the biodiversity trail are still in place today. With a total capacity of 6,500 people, the congress centre hosted symposia and indoor performances throughout the exhibition. The Children's Science and Technology Centre was set up during the exhibition to introduce children to science with its planetarium, experiment setups and dinosaur garden. After the exhibition ended, the site stayed with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. From 2018 entry became free, and the site continued to be visited as a park with its country gardens, tower and lake. The Metropolitan Municipality's information page states that the site is still open to visitors and can be toured in its general outline; the Ministry, in 2022, noted that no events had been held for a long time and put the future use of the site on its agenda. For this reason, access to the tower and the opening days of the museum and the enclosed buildings may change; check the current situation through the Ministry or municipal channels before going. What best describes the site today is its trees. The plantings made for the exhibition have grown over a decade and, together with the wide lawns, form one of the largest open green spaces in Antalya. The flat roads suit cycling, the broad lawns and picnic areas suit families with children, and the axis between the tower and the lake suits photography. The site is large; walking from one end to the other takes more than half an hour, and there is little shade at midday in summer. Reaching Expo by tram is easy. AntRay's T1 line was extended east from Meydan in 2016 and Expo became its terminus; the line is used with Antalyakart, and a branch splits off to the airport. From the city centre it is enough to board T1 and ride to the last stop; the Expo stop is at the entrance to the site. The site can also be reached by car on the main road towards Aksu. It makes sense to combine Expo with the ancient city of Perge and Kurşunlu Waterfall, both in Aksu; all three are close to each other at the eastern edge of the city.