28 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

International Sand Sculpture Festival Opens with the Theme “The Lost City of Atlantis”

The 16th edition of the International Sand Sculpture Festival (SANDLAND) has begun in Turkey’s Mediterranean resort city of Antalya. Every year, the festival attracts tourists with mesmerizing sand sculptures. This year’s theme is “The Lost City of Atlantis,” and it will begin in the middle of May.

The International Sand Sculpture Festival in Antalya is one of the world’s most prestigious sand sculpture activities. Every year, hundreds of huge, sparkling sand sculptures prepared around various themes, such as “World Wonders and Mythology” and “Sea Legends,” are displayed at Lara Beach, drawing many local and international tourists.

Sand sculpting is a form of ephemeral (temporary) art that has gradually grown in popularity around the world in recent years. Sand sculpting practices, which fall under the umbrella of alternative arts, use only sand and water. Sand sculptors work alone or in groups of two to three individuals, taking into account the size of the sculpture to be made.

As a result, impressive works of the art weighing hundreds of tons and measuring several meters in height and length are made using only water and sand. The art of sand sculpture adopts the philosophy that nothing is permanent and everything will disappear one day. These wonderful works are demolished after a short period of the exhibition.

sand sculptor
This year’s theme is “The Lost City of Atlantis,” and it will begin in the middle of May.

Festival director Cem Karaca told Anadolu Agency (AA) that their festival is one of the largest sand sculpture events in the world with the high number of sculptures it hosts and the amount of sand used in these works. Noting the festival is open throughout the year, Karaca continued: “The pandemic has affected social life, especially culture and arts events. While many sand festivals were canceled around the world, we will continue our event under strict COVID-19 measures.”

sand sculptor festival

The festival director also provided information about the 16th edition of the festival: “While preserving some of our sculptures, especially an imitation of the Cheops Pyramid, which we have applied to be included in the Guinness World Records, we will also present our new sculptures with the theme of Atlantis to our visitors. With our new sculptures, we will take our visitors on a journey through the mysterious world of the city of Atlantis. We hope that the imaginative, fantastic sculptures will attract visitors of all ages. Our sculptors started their work in the area as of April 19. We will also do repair work on our sculptures that we have not destroyed in our area. As every year, we want to create a different experience at night with lighting and music suitable for the atmosphere.”

Bulgarian sand sculptor professor Ani Zlateva also stated that she has participated in many sand sculpture events around the world and that many activities have been held in this field in recent years. Explaining that sand provides the opportunity to make large sculptures in a short time, Zlateva emphasized that their sculptures will be destroyed after a while. Noting that this situation does not upset her as an artist, “The understanding of sand sculpture is based on the fact that everything will disappear one day. I am immortalizing my work in the digital environment by photographing it with my phone.”

Related Articles

1,500-Year-Old Christian Ivory Reliquary Box Discovered in Austria

27 June 2024

27 June 2024

Archaeologists have discovered an exceptional Christian ancient ivory reliquary box in Austria that is thought to be around 1,500 years...

The longest inscription in Saudi Arabia turned out to belong to the last king of Babylon

25 July 2021

25 July 2021

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage has announced the discovery of a 2,550-year-old inscription etched on basalt stone...

Stone-arched tunnel discovered near Achaemenid dam in southern Iran

4 February 2022

4 February 2022

A cultural heritage protection team has recently discovered a stone-arched tunnel located near an Achaemenid embankment dam in southern Iran....

The rich-poor distinction draws attention in the nutrition of the inhabitants of the Ancient City of Pergamon

27 November 2021

27 November 2021

The hegemony of wealth to the poor, arising from the ruler, elite structure, property ownership, unjust acquisition, and distribution of...

An 8,000-year-old number stone found in Yeşilova Mound

27 July 2023

27 July 2023

The 8,000-year-old numeral stone, which is thought to have been used while calculating during the Yeşilova Höyük (Yeşilova Mound) excavation...

Hidden 13th-century carving of ‘face of Christ’ discovered in Ballymore, Ireland

12 May 2022

12 May 2022

At Ballymore, in the county of Westmeath, Ireland, sunlight led to an interesting and special discovery. The sunlight revealed that...

New stone ram heads unearthed in Luxor, Egypt

15 October 2021

15 October 2021

Mustafa al-Waziri, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), recently announced the discovery of new stone ram heads...

The Oklahoma City Museum of Art will launch “The Painters of Pompeii” on June 26

23 June 2021

23 June 2021

A number of collection highlights will travel to North America for the first time as part of the exhibition The...

A Monumental 3,800-Year-Old Warrior Kurgan Discovered in Azerbaijan

16 July 2025

16 July 2025

A monumental discovery has emerged from the windswept plains of Ceyranchol in western Azerbaijan: a 3,800-year-old Middle Bronze Age kurgan,...

2000-year-old ancient Roman Road, described as the most important in Scottish history, has been discovered

3 November 2023

3 November 2023

A 2000-year-old ancient Roman road was unearthed in Old Inn Cottage’s garden near Stirling, Scotland. The site is located a...

A Batavian Cavalry Mask was found on the Battlefield of Roman Comrades

22 July 2022

22 July 2022

Archaeologists have discovered that a rusty corroded plate they found 4 years ago at an old battlefield in the city...

Ancient shipwreck dating back to the 2nd century BC was discovered off the coast of Croatia

14 September 2021

14 September 2021

A shipwreck dating to the 2nd century BC has been discovered in the shallow waters of the Adriatic Sea near...

21 Copperplate Inscriptions discovered at Ghanta Matham in India

14 June 2021

14 June 2021

During excavations at Ghanta Matham in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh,  important 21 copper plates for the Mallikarjuna Swami...

Evidence of Brain Surgery performed 3,000 years ago discovered in the ancient city of Tel Megiddo

27 February 2023

27 February 2023

Researchers have discovered a rare instance of delicate cranial surgery, possibly the earliest of its kind in the Middle East,...

Archaeologists find new clues about North Carolina’s ‘Lost Colony’ from the 16th century

11 May 2024

11 May 2024

Archaeologists from The First Colony Foundation have yielded a tantalizing clue about the fate of the Lost Colony, the settlers...