Giresun Island to become attraction center

FATMA AYDIN

The Culture and Tourism Ministry has initiated a new project to boost tourism on Giresun Island, one of the three islands of the Black Sea where archaeological excavations are still ongoing.

When Giresun Island Project and the ongoing Göksu Travertines Project are finished, the aim is to triple the number of tourists to reach 600,000.

The Giresun Island stands out as the third island in the Black Sea after Kefken Island and Yılan Island, which is in Ukraine. Giresun Island, located 1.6 kilometers away from the city, opposite the Gedikkaya location, has an area of 40,000 square meters and a height of 30 meters from the sea.

Formerly known as Aretias and Khalkeritis, the island also draws attention since it is the only island in the Eastern Black Sea that was a settlement in the Ancient Age and the Middle Ages. There are walls from the Middle Ages, a church, a chapel, a cistern, and many pithoi and tomb structures on the island. The history of the island, where excavations still continue, goes back to 300 B.C., according to archaeological finds.

For these reasons, the Culture and Tourism Ministry initiated the project to ensure that the island gets what it deserves in tourism.

The ministry has launched the “Environmental Arrangement Implementation Project” so that visitors to Giresun Island, which is a second-degree archaeological and natural site, can travel more comfortably.

Giresun Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Kemal Gürgenci gave information about the project where service units and walking paths are planned to be built and said that they aim to make the island one of the key points of regional tourism.

“As an island fortress, Giresun Island is home to ruins from the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. Despite this, it doesn’t get its share from tourism. Wooden walkways, small viewing terraces and piers will be built in a way that will not disturb the natural texture of the island. When the project is completed, visitors will be able to see the excavation sites and walk

Travertines draw great interest

One of the important projects under construction in Giresun is the Göksu Travertines Project. With the travertines project, which aims to increase Giresun’s brand value, Mavigöl, Kuzalan Nature Park, Göksu Travertines and plateaus will be transformed into a new attraction center as a whole.

In this context, while 55 large and small lakes were created, Gürgenci stated that they thought of the project not as a competitor to Pamukkale but as “Pamukkale in the Black Sea.”

“The first part of the project is finished. Soda water will be brought from the surrounding area and the second part will be completed. In the third part, the houses on the opposite side will be restored and connected to each other by two arch bridges. In the last step of the project, a walking route will be created by connecting with Blue Lake,” he added.

Stating that 20,000 people visited the travertines during two holidays, although the doors were closed and locked last year, Gürgenci said that they receive a total of 200,000 tourists annually.

“When the Giresun Island and Göksu Travertines projects are completed, Giresun will be the center of attraction for the tourism of the region,” he added.

Giresun Island is also related to many mystical stories. On the island, there is a rock called “Hamza Stone,” which comes from the Latin word “Humuz” and means birth. Couples that want to have a child pray around this stone and spend a night on the island. This tradition around the Hamza Stone, which is seen as a symbol of fertility and abundance, continues within the scope of the “Mayıs Yedisi” ceremonies and the “Aksu Festivals” held every year.