Izmir Geopark in Gediz-Bakircay Basins
Where we are
The fertile soil of Bakircay Basin of Izmir has been the home of various ancient civilizations, among them the world-famous historical heritage site of Pergamon. Today the main income of the area is agriculture. Economic wealth has been declining due to various factors such as urban migration, decreasing value of agricultural products on the global market and declining yield in the locally biggest production area: pine nuts. The younger population leaves for bigger towns where there are better job opportunities, especially within tourism. There are though, great opportunities for tourism development within the rural areas of Madra, offering spectacular mountains and forests.
Rural Heritage
The Rural Heritage Hub will be situated in an old primary school building in the village of Yukarıbey. The old school will have multiple functions to cover the aims of participating in the project. One plan is to enable an e commerce for local food via the hub, another project is to use the meeting place to spread information on the pine nut disease. The vision is to create a gathering place for a wide spectrum of activities in the region.
