Sky Observation Fest held in southeastern province

DİYARBAKIR

Some 5,000 people attended a four-day “sky observation festival” held in an ancient castle in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

People monitored the sky and the stars with high tech telescopes in Zerzevan Castle, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2020.

Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank, Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu and Ali Taha Koç, the head of the Presidential Digital Transformation Office, attended the festival which held various activities and seminars on astronomy.

Uploading a photo of an old man looking through a telescope on his social media account, Varank said, “When we were saying [the organization will be for] young and old alike, we were not joking.”

The minister also highlighted that new sky observation activities will be held in eastern provinces of Van and Erzurum, too.

Zerzevan Castle, also known as Samachi Castle, was built in the 4th century by the Eastern Roman Empire as a military base on the ancient trade route between Diyarbakır and Mardin. It was in use until the 7th century.