Gardens of Civilisation

Expo 2021 Hatay opened on Thursday, 31 March 2022, in Antakya, Hatay, Türkiye.

This AIPH-approved B-category International Horticultural Expo was the first mega-event in the region after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Expo park was split in the municipality of Hatay between two sites: one in the Kisecik area of Antakya and the other in the Nardüzü area of the Karaağaç district of İskenderun.

Expo 2021 Hatay attracted
1.1 million visitors

The mega event attracted 1.1 million visitors, nearly half of which (42.12%) were between the ages of 31-50. Further analysis of the visitor numbers includes 32.56% made up a younger attendance, and 23.48% were between the ages of 51-60.

Expo 2021 Hatay’s success was due to the hard work and dedication of the Mayor of Hatay, Dr Lütfü Savaş and his team, not forgetting the 7,000 volunteers. It was reported in 10,000 local, national and international news outlets. On social media, there were 10 million views of their posts.

Opening Ceremony

Expo 2021 Hatay’s theme was the ‘Garden of Civilisations’. The opening ceremony saw the history of Hatay from ancient times, including Habib-i Nejjar, to the epoch of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, to modern times and the city’s ambition in greening and development today.

Ornamental horticulture on display

Expo 2021 Hatay was an important global showcase for Türkiye’s ornamental horticulture. Many thousands of bedding plants, trees and shrubs in the Expo borders came from local nurseries. In the gardens, there were displays of native medicinal and aromatic plants. The following images are pictures of the national participants’ gardens.

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Award Ceremony

Thirteen metropolitan cities of Türkiye created exciting gardens and pavilions showing plants from their regions and sharing their culture. Gardens complemented these from international participants, including the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus; Republic of Djibouti; Aalen, East Germany and Kiel, North Germany; Republic of Korea, Kyrgyz Republic; Republic of Madagascar; Nepal; Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and Republic of the Philippines.

On Saturday, 2 July, an Award Ceremony took place to celebrate the achievements of the gardens and pavilions created by participating countries and municipalities.

In the post-Expo period, the amphitheatre built for the Expo (total spectator capacity of 15,000 people) will continue to be used for open-air cinema screenings, performances and concerts.

In addition, a library and playgrounds were created for children, making it an iconic part of the city that all the public can visit. Expo Sites will host forums and festivals planned to take place regularly every year.

All materials used during the Expo period will be converted and made suitable for reuse in the areas.

Award Ceremony

The spirit of Expo 2021 Hatay was celebrated in a single-piece floor mosaic that measures 1,600 square metres and has a diameter of 45 metres.

The mosaic’s theme is peace, and its name is ‘Co-Existence‘. It has 40 different coloured stones brought from all over Turkiye. Sixteen million small cube tessera stones create this mosaic which now permanently exhibits at the Expo Antakya Area.

The Guinness World Records officially recorded the Co-Existence Mosaic at the Expo 2021 Hatay as the world’s largest marble stone mosaic on 23 July 2022.

Photo: Expo 2021 Hatay.