Antalya's Moment
COP31: A Local & Global Turning Point. A book about a rare opportunity, and what it means for one city and for the planet it will briefly host.
About the book
This is not just a story about the COP31 conference. It is a story about a city that aspires to shape how the world sees climate, meets the challenge, remembers its humanity and turns toward the future. A city with wisdom to share. A city with ambitions and hope.
The book was written in a pause: the pause before the world arrives, before the cameras and the headlines of COP31, before Antalya becomes a name spoken in every language, in every country, for a brief and consequential moment.
A city at the edge of history must choose who it will become.
The authors
Co-authored by Prof. Bassem K. Khafagy and Dr. Nurgül Karahan, a husband-and-wife duo now based in Antalya, the book blends two distinct but harmonious perspectives: one shaped by global experience, the other rooted in Turkish soil, united by love for a city and belief in the importance of this moment.
Prof. Bassem K. Khafagy
He has lived between continents and cultures, carrying a lifelong fascination with cities and the forces that shape them. Now based in Antalya, he writes with affection and urgency about a place he calls home, and about the responsibility that arises when history arrives at a city's door.
Dr. Nurgül Karahan
An academic and educator whose work is rooted in culture and language. Born and raised in Türkiye and now based in Antalya, she reflects on how beauty, identity and belonging can guide a city as it faces the responsibilities of hosting COP31.
Inside the book
The book opens with a dedication to King Attalus II of Pergamum, who founded the city as Attalia around 150 BC, and moves from the city's past to the questions the world brings to it.
- An Invitation
- Something Is Coming
- Why Antalya?
- History Leading to COP31?
- Where Mountains Meet the Sea
- A City That Remembers
- More Than a Venue
- What a City Can Teach
- The Questions We Must Ask
- Seeing Climate Differently
- Remembering Our Humanity
- Turning Toward the Future
- Epilogue: Our Moment
The text is accompanied by original abstract art and photography.
Details
| Title | Antalya's Moment, COP31: A Local & Global Turning Point |
| Series | Antalya's Moment & COP31, Vol. 01 |
| Authors | Prof. Bassem K. Khafagy and Dr. Nurgül Karahan |
| Publisher | ELME Publishing, with the support of the Antalya Global Foundation |
| Edition | First edition, February 2026; printed in Istanbul, Türkiye |
| Pages | 96 |
| Editions | English and Turkish |
| ISBN | 978-1-889626-24-6 (English) |
Order a copy
To order Antalya's Moment, write to Connect@Antalya.Foundation with the number of copies and the edition you would like, English or Turkish.
More AGF books are on the Books page.