The “Karatay Lavender Festival,” organized for the fourth time this year by the Karatay Municipality, was celebrated with various events in Konya between July 4–6, 2025. The three-day event broke its own record with 455,870 attendees. The Union of Turkish World Municipalities (TDBB) supported the festival by inviting sister municipalities from abroad.
Karatay Lavender Days turned into an international gathering, welcoming guests not only from across Turkey but also from friendly and sister countries. At the event, upon invitation by TDBB, delegations attended from Karatay’s sister cities, including Ahmet Hayri Orçan, Mayor of Tatlısu (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus – TRNC), Mukhamedjan Jumadıllaev, Advisor to the Mayor of Sauran, Turkistan Region of Kazakhstan, and representatives from the Municipality of Kavajë in Albania. Citizens from countries such as the Netherlands and Austria also showed great interest in the festival.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the festival, Karatay Mayor Hasan Kılca expressed his great satisfaction with the high level of interest shown in the Karatay Lavender Days. Mayor Kılca said:
“We transformed an idle land into fragrant lavender fields, contributing to both production and employment. Approximately 500,000 people visited the 4th Traditional Karatay Lavender Days over three days. This high participation is the clearest indication of how much this project is loved. The interest of our citizens gives us strength and motivation. I thank our sister municipality delegations and all participants. Our Lavender Garden will continue to welcome visitors throughout July. I invite everyone to see this unique natural beauty and to connect with nature.”
Tatlısu Mayor Ahmet Hayri Orçan gave messages of brotherhood during the festival. He expressed his pleasure in being part of such a meaningful organization, stating:
“We are very happy to be part of this beautiful event. The people of Tatlısu, your sister municipality in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, also send their greetings.”
Mukhamedjan Jumadıllaev conveyed greetings from the Mayor of Sauran District in the Turkistan Region of Kazakhstan, saying:
“We are delighted to be in the distinguished city of Konya for the Lavender Festival. Lavender is not only a unique gift of nature, but also a symbol of peace, purity, and beauty. We truly believe that this meaningful cultural and spiritual event will further strengthen international friendship and cooperation.”
At the 400-decare lavender gardens on Kosovo Street in Karaaslan Üzümcü Neighborhood, visitors took plenty of photographs. At the festival area across from the Karatay Lavender Garden, guests sampled lavender ice cream, lavender soda, lavender jam, and lavender delight. There was also great interest in natural products such as lavender cologne, soap, cream, seeds, and oil displayed at the stands.
Characters like Kral Şakir, Niloya, and Kukuli performed for children, while concerts of Kazakh Folk Music, Turkish Folk Music, and Turkish Classical Music entertained music lovers throughout the festival.
Konya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Uğur İbrahim Altay said that the intense interest of attendees clearly demonstrated the value and importance of the project:
“The crowd here shows how valuable and meaningful this project is. Konya has made significant progress in tourism. We, as the Metropolitan Municipality, are working hard together with our district municipalities to ensure that our guests have a pleasant time in our city. As Mayor Hasan Kılca mentioned, knowing what this place used to look like, the transformation we see today is truly commendable. With the rose garden, hobby garden, and Turkey’s largest lavender garden, this place has become one of our city’s new attractions. I thank Hasan Kılca and his team on behalf of the people of Konya for bringing this visionary project to life.”
