.

Two art galleries of the club serve supporting artists, sculptors and photographers.

Frequently, concerts and poem performances are held in the main hall. Especially in summertime, some concerts are held in scenic rural areas around Mersin.

The members are informed about all kinds of cultural activities in Mersin via cell phones and internet.

Various art courses are offered to enthusiast amateurs including members and nonmembers of the club alike.

The club participates in annual Music festival

Music festival

A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...

 of Mersin.

Outdoor recreation

The club organises weekend hiking

Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...

s, and in some cases backpacking

Backpacking (travel)

Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel. Terms such as independent travel and/or budget travel are often used...

. Non members are also invited. The track and the level of hiking difficulty is announced in advance by the group leaders. The groups are transported to an appropriate starting point, where they start hiking. The average hiking time is about seven or eight hours, excluding lunch time.

During hiking, the hikers enjoy picturesque Mediterranean scenery and sometimes explore archaeological wealth that is quite widespread around Mersin. In past several times, the hikers informed the academic authorities about their findings like caves, ruins etc. Some antiques had been found during hikings and bestowed to Mersin Museum

Mersin Museum

Mersin Museum is the main museum of Mersin, Turkey. It is operated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.- History :Mersin Province is full of ancient sites. Yumuktepe and Soli in Mersin city and Gözlükule in Tarsus are among these. But prior to the foundation Mersin Museum, the findings were...

.

Media and international relations

The club publishes a monthly magazine. The essays are usually written by club members, and organized by the editorial board of the club. The emphasis is on the club activities, historical anectodes about Mersin, examples of poetry and sometimes drawings.

The club has an internet website, at which all club activities are published. The club also distributes free e-mail addresses to members with club domain name.

The club sometimes participites in mutual projects with the art lovers of German city of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, which is a partner city of Yenişehir

Yenişehir (Mersin)

Yenişehir is a municipality and district governorate in Greater Mersin, Turkey. Mersin is one of the 16 metropolitan centers in Turkey with more than one municipality within city borders...

, a municipality of Mersin.

Service buildings

The club uses three old Mersin houses in the downtown that are aged more than a century and are situated is Sanat Sokağı (Art Street). The street is a pedestrian zone and hosts street performances, handicraft displays and painting exhibitions.

The Yellow House
The 100 seat conference hall in the ground floor is named after Prof. Nevit Kodallı

Nevit Kodalli

Nevit Kodallı is a Turkish composer of western-influenced classical music including operas and ballets. In 1948 he travelled to Paris where he studied with Arthur Honegger and Nadia Boulanger...

, a well-known classical music composer, who was a citizen of Mersin. Minor concerts are also held in this hall. The top floor on the other hand is reserved for drama and music courses.

The Green House
The art gallery in the ground floor is named after Teoman Ünüsan, a former governor of Mersin. The administrative branches as well as the 3,000 book library is in the top floor.

The Clubhouse
The restaurant at the ground floor has a garden with century-old trees is quite attractive during summertime. The top floor is reserved for various activities. The small art gallery is named after Ayşe Uğural and Müfide İlhan

Müfide İlhan

Müfide İlhan was a former mayor of Mersin, Turkey in the early 1950s. She is known as being the first woman mayor in Turkey.-Life:...

. Müfide İlhan, a former mayor of Mersin, was Turkey's very first female mayor (in 1950-1951). At this floor, there are also rooms reserved for mountaineering, art courses, photography and folklore.

External links

• The official site of the club
• A site about Mersin art activities