Some 2,000 people from all ages gathered in Istanbul's Büyükçekmece district to read books and promote the love of reading after the district municipality declared 2019 as "A Year of Reading."

Residents of the district, located on the city's European side, gathered in the Kemal Sunal Amphitheatre in Büyükçekmece Culture Park.

Some of the residents attending the event held banners promoting the importance of reading.

District Mayor Hasan Akgün stressed the importance of promoting reading and books to encourage the public to read more, saying that they will focus on such activities within the scope of their new projects.

Some other events such as autographing sessions and interviews with writers were also held during the event.

Last month a similar event was held in southern Turkey's Antalya province. Primary, secondary and pre-school students accompanied by their parents gathered in Konyaaltı beach with their books to participate in the project and read for almost two hours.