Aquarium built inside road tunnel welcomes visitors in Trabzon

TRABZON

An aquarium installed inside a road tunnel has opened in the northern province of Trabzon.

The aquarium was built inside the tunnel connecting Zağnos and Tabakhane valleys in the Ortahisar district of the province, which is located on the Black Sea coast, and it is the first and only such exhibit in the world.

It contains 5,000 fish from 80 species.

The aquarium includes claret-blue colored fish, which are the color of the popular Trabzonspor football club’s iconic jersey, and also hosts other varieties of fish, such as piranha and shark. The claret-blue fish were brought from a lake in Malawi.

Local dignitaries, including Governor İsmail Ustaoğlu, Trabzon Mayor Murat Zorluoğlu, Ortahisar Mayor Ahmet Metin Genç and lawmakers from the province, attended the inauguration ceremony of the “Tunnel Aquarium” held on May 19.

“This is one of a kind in the world. We are proud of it. The aquarium contains all kinds of species, freshwater fish, sea fish and ocean fish. It stands out with the maroon-blue colored fish it hosts,” Genç said.

“I am here to support this initiative. This city has such a huge energy,” said Abdullah Avcı, the coach of Trabzonspor, who also attended the ceremony.

After the ceremony, the aquarium started to welcome visitors. The center of attention was, of course, the claret-blue colored fish.