İsmail H. Sabbar the president of Ancient Kyrenia Harbour Development Association attended the seminar as a speaker which was held on Wednesday, 27th of November on campus. Lecturers, sector and municipality representatives and also students attended the seminar.

GÜDENMER President Captain Enver Yetkili made the opening speech of the seminar and stated that with the activities they perform every month they are providing a platform to meet representatives from different areas of the marime industry and participants.

Yetkili stated that the marine tourism is one of the important sub-sectors and the ancient harbour of Kyrenia is among the places that attract the most tourists but has not reached the desired level.

İsmail H. Sabbar, the president of the Ancient Kyrenia Harbour Development Association, started his speech by stating that Kyrenia is the crown of tourism and the most important part is Kyrenia harbour.

Sabbar said that they aim to protect, save and make the cultural heritage of the region attractive and they have prepared a plan for this purpose.

İsmail H. Sabbar, in his presentation supported by old photographs, maps and drawings, presented detailed information about the ancient city of Kyrenia including the definition, importance, legal status, development strategy plan and contribution to tourism of the region.

Speaking about the history of Kyrenia Castle which dates back to the 7th century AD , Sabbar stressed that the towers have survived in different parts of the city and some of them have been restored by the Kyrenia Municipality.

‘Historical texture can be preserved while evaluating tourism potential‘
İsmail H. Sabbar explained the changes that have been made at the ancient port of Kyrenia since the Roman period and also stated that the sand accumulation has occured due to the current shape of the area and this creates environmental pollution. Emphasizing that the old silhouette cannot be seen in the port that is surrounded by the structures, Sabbar explained the legal status of the port, deficiencies in the current statutes, development strategy plan and solution proposals.

İsmail H. Sabbar said that in some parts of the world, the modern city and the old city were kept separate from each other, such as the port of Chania on the island of Crete. Sabbar underlined that , with the yacht harbor and cruise ship port to be made out of the ancient port, tourism potential can be protected while evaluating the historical heritage.

Sabbar stated that the current government program includes work in this direction and this would provide a significant tourism income and shared his suggestions on the subject. Referring to the decisions of the High Council of the Monuments and the Ombudsman, Sabbar expressed that they aimed for a city that is bright, clean, culturally active and attracting more tourists.

İsmail H. Sabbar, the President of Ancient Kyrenia Harbor Development Association, answered the questions of the participants after his speech.

At the end of the seminar, Ocean Going Master Mehmet Emin Debeş, the Head of the Department of Maritime Transportation Management Engineering, Mehmet Emin Debeş, who made the closing and thanks speech, especially emphasized the importance of young people to know their history and stated that GÜDENMER will continue its works without interruption.