AKP mayoral candidate vows to 'bring the sea' to landlocked city of Denizli

DENİZLİ - Doğan News Agency

'Denizli' is translated literally from the Turkish as 'with sea' or 'having sea,' but the landlocked city is almost 200 kilometers away from the closest sea shore. DHA photo

Mehmet Uğur Tatar, one of the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) possible mayoral candidates in Denizli at the upcoming local elections, has vowed to eliminate long-standing confusion over the landlocked city's name by bringing to it nothing less than the sea.

"Denizli" is translated literally from the Turkish as "with sea" or "having sea." However, anyone who takes that definition verbatim might be disappointed on arrival, as the nearest shore is almost 200 kilometers away from the center of town.

Local businessman Tatar has vowed to wipe away the confusion once and for all, vowing during a press conference on Oct. 10 to make Denizli a port city by bringing the sea shore - not just a canal -  to the town. 

"Denizli is an industrial town with [an economy based on] exports. To transport goods to ports is expensive. That's why I will bring the sea to Denizli and make it a port town," Tatar said. 

He did not explain how he would achieve his idea - reminiscent of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's headline-grabbing "crazy projects" in Istanbul - but stressed that he had already submitted it to the state's scientific institute, TÜBİTAK. 

"They said it should be examined. So it's possible," Tatar said.

Not content with one ambitious project, he also said he intended to revolutionize public transport using pioneering air pressure technology.

"I have prepared 40 projects for the center of Denizli, and 210 projects for the whole city. For instance, my project on public transportation will be pioneering for the world. I will design a tube system that works with air pressure, which would drastically bring down costs compared to rail," Tatar said.

The party's candidates for the March 2014 local elections are expected to be chosen in the coming weeks. 

Some theories suggest that the inner Aegean city's name may have originated from "Donguzlu," before evolving to "Dengizli." Others claim that it was named "Domuzlu" because of the population of pigs in the surrounding woods. This leads to yet another confusion, as the town's iconic animal is the rooster...