Who is Ali Haydar Bozkurt?

I was born in 1967. I spent the first 29 years of my life in Adana, where the streets smell of orange blossoms in April.

During this time, alongside my education, I worked professionally in theater. I also played licensed basketball for many years. I devoted a considerable amount of time to hobbies such as photography, music, etc.

I continue to visit Adana regularly at certain intervals.

However, especially every April — or as we, the lovers of Adana, call it, the Orange Blossom Season — no matter where I am in the world, I always make sure to come to Adana. There was only one year I couldn’t do this. That year, thankfully, my teacher and dear friends collected orange blossoms, placed them in jars, and sent them to me by cargo. I kept those jars in my refrigerator for a week. Every morning and evening, I would open the jars, smell them, close my eyes, and imagine myself walking through the streets of Adana in April. It may be a bit difficult to explain this to someone who has never experienced it before. But for those who have, it is a beauty that stays with them for a lifetime.

Every April, I go to Adana and, especially in the late afternoon hours when the scent of orange blossoms is at its peak, I put on my jeans, my t-shirt, and my indispensable white Converse, and head out to the city streets. These walks are something I never get tired of or bored with… Every place I pass holds a different memory... In the background, waves of that magnificent orange blossom scent… That magical fragrance that cleanses my soul enough to make me love everyone and everything…

When we were children, there were orange groves very close to the city center in Adana, and in the evenings, the wind would carry the scent of orange blossoms from those groves into the streets of the city. It would hit our faces in waves wherever it passed… Now, the orange groves in the city center may no longer exist, but thanks to the orange (bitter orange) trees on every street and the trees in the parks in the city center, you can still find the same scent on every street you walk.

I had a socially, artistically, and sports-oriented educational life in Adana. I am a graduate of Ayas College. In fact, I am one of the first male graduates of the school. There were only 2 male students in our class. Our only problem was that we had to form mixed teams with girls because we couldn’t form a boys’ basketball team for inter-class matches. We were lucky… We had memories to tell for a lifetime and friendships that would last forever.

I never left Adana during my university years and graduated from Çukurova University, Department of Business Administration (English).

Throughout my entire education life, I never studied lessons. My time outside of classes was so full with activities like theater, basketball, music, and photography that I had no time to study, so I tried to learn by listening carefully during lessons. Despite this, I believe I was a successful student.

In 1996 (I was 29 years old at the time), although somewhat late, I moved to Istanbul to start my professional career.

During this time, I held various positions in different companies. I am currently serving as the CEO of Toyota Turkey. At the same time, I also serve as the CEO of ALJ Mobility Europe and Turkey.

I believe that success comes from “making a difference” and that the most fundamental element for achieving all goodness and beauty in the world is effective communication.

For all these reasons, I wanted to share with you the unique and distinctive beauties of Adana. The main purpose of establishing this website is to introduce Adana’s lesser-known orange blossom season and its beauties to as many people as possible.

With this in mind, we set out with the slogan “In Adana in April!”. With the support of all friends, whether from Adana or not, we aim to grow this movement and ensure that more people visit Adana every April to experience this incredible atmosphere.

This invitation has no political or commercial purpose whatsoever. By preserving our sensitivity on this matter, we simply want to create something out of “love” and invite everyone who wishes to experience this beauty with us in Adana in April.

Although the orange blossom season may vary by a few days each year depending on the climate, it generally falls between April 5–20. For this reason, we invite you to join us during the first week of April, when the scent of orange blossoms is at its most intense. Of course, I would also recommend that you do not plan just a one-day visit. In the relevant section of this website, I will try to provide you with detailed information on “What to Do in Adana”.