Türkiye's Kahramanmaraş city has been officially added to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of literature.
The city's Metropolitan Mayor Fırat Görgel said in a written statement that the network’s new members were announced in Paris on Friday, marked globally as World Cities Day.
Görgel said Kahramanmaraş earned its place in the network thanks to the municipality’s cultural vision and its strategic work centered on literature, becoming the first city in Türkiye to join the network in the literature category. He described UNESCO’s recognition as a milestone in the city’s cultural development.
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network, launched in 2004, promotes sustainable development by supporting cities’ cultural heritage and creative industries, Görgel noted.
“By joining this prestigious network in the literature category, Kahramanmaraş becomes the first city selected from Türkiye in this field,” he said.
“With its deep-rooted literary heritage, strong tradition of poetry and an increasing number of cultural events in recent years, Kahramanmaraş has made its literary identity visible nationally and internationally.”
Alptekin Yasım, rector of Kahramanmaraş Sütçü Imam University, said the city is known as the home of “the Seven Beautiful Men,” iconic figures of modern Turkish poetry. He said UNESCO’s recognition confirms this rich literary legacy and enhances its visibility on a global scale.
