Inside Türkiye's COP31 pavilion: How Anatolia's climate shaped its architecture and heritage

Türkiye is drawing on thousands of years of cultural heritage to highlight sustainability and climate resilience at the UN climate summit in Antalya, a southern Mediterranean city.

The country's pavilion at COP31 was built from recycled materials, including excavated soil, coffee grounds, scrap metal, copper, and wood, to minimise its carbon footprint.

Located in the summit's Blue Zone, the area designated for official negotiations and accredited participants, the pavilion takes visitors on a journey through Anatolia's cultural and artistic heritage, from the 12,000-year-old archaeological site of Gobeklitepe to the present day.

Visitors can attend climate-related panel discussions, try their hand at traditional crafts such as filigree metalwork and glassblowing, and sample Turkish coffee, tea and Turkish delight.

The pavilion, which highlights the climate crisis and the importance of recycling, welcomes thousands of visitors daily.

Orhan Solak, deputy head of Türkiye's Climate Change Directorate, told Anadolu that the pavilion has attracted visitors from around the world.

He said the exhibition's theme, "Roots of Adaptation and Resilience," reflects the idea that ancient civilisations offer valuable lessons for addressing modern environmental challenges.

"Many of the answers we seek in combating climate change lie in Anatolia's thousands of years of history," Solak said.

The exhibition explores themes including balance, harvesting, healing, gathering and shelter, illustrating how communities adapted to their surroundings throughout history.

"We are showing that the fundamental principles needed to combat climate change are embedded in Anatolia's 12,000-year history," he said, adding that Türkiye aims to draw on this knowledge in future climate action.

Ancient wisdom meets contemporary art

Architect Bunyamin Atan, who designed the pavilion alongside creative director Cengiz Ayildiz and curator Hasan Mert Kaya, said the team sought to minimise the exhibition's environmental impact by using recycled materials.

The design brings together examples of how people across Anatolia developed architectural and cultural practices in response to local climate conditions, he said.

"The central question of the exhibition is: How have we responded to climate throughout history?" Atan said. "We did not want it to be simply an account of Anatolian culture or history."

The exhibition also features works by contemporary artists, including internationally renowned digital artist Refik Anadol, Serkan Serefhanoglu and Taha Baydar.

Lessons from the past

Among the international visitors was Godwin Ehijele Okoduwa, who travelled from Nigeria to attend the climate summit.

Okoduwa said he was particularly impressed by the ancient city of Dara, a historic settlement in southeastern Türkiye, and a water monument dating back to the Hittite civilisation, which flourished in Anatolia more than 3,000 years ago.

He said the structures reflected the ingenuity, determination and pursuit of sustainable living among ancient communities.

"Hundreds or even thousands of years ago, people were developing technologies and finding ways to make life sustainable. That is what impressed me most in Türkiye," he said.

Okoduwa also stressed the need for countries to turn their climate commitments into concrete action, noting that international financial support is particularly important for nations facing economic challenges.

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