This year's edition of Türkiye's premier technology and aviation event, Teknofest, held in the culturally rich city of Şanliurfa in the country's southeast, came to an end on Sunday after several days of numerous activities, competitions and air shows.
Teknofest Southeast, a leg of the event held in the southeastern part of the country for the first time, welcomed tech enthusiasts, youngsters and thousands of visitors at Şanlıurfa GAP Airport from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4.
Leading domestic defense and industrial companies, including Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), Roketsan, STM, Baykar, OYAK and many others, showcased their products and shared expectations about lineups and planned deliveries of their platforms.
Teknofest, which began its journey in 2018, has expanded notably over the years, with editions also held in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Azerbaijan. Earlier this year, the event also had its maritime version, Teknofest Blue Homeland, which was organized for the second time.
With the last edition in Şanlıurfa, a province recognized for its Göbeklitepe site, Balıklıgöl and rich cuisine, Teknofest held its 15th edition since 2018.
The festival in Şanlıurfa, which garnered notable interest in the region and drew crowds of visitors to the festival area, was particularly dominated by humanoid robots and their "halay dance," as well as by the emphasis on the heritage and culture of the city.
Children and visitors from Şanlıurfa and surrounding provinces also crowded around domestically produced aircraft, including the Kızılelma unmanned fighter jet, Kaan combat aircraft and Akıncı drone.
A distinctive feature of the event was a showcase of history through the Göbeklitepe Experience Area, where visitors were able to travel across roughly 12 millennia in just three minutes.
"Knowledge, wisdom and civilization are here. And today, the technology of the future is also here. Thousands of years ago, a new world was built here. Today, a new future is being built here too," Selçuk Bayraktar, the chair of the board of directors of Teknofest and chair of the board and CTO of Turkish drone giant Baykar, said in the opening of the festival.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in his remarks at the festival venue on Saturday, also underscored that Teknofest was fittingly held in Şanlıurfa, describing it as a "city of prophets" with thousands of years of scientific, cultural and civilizational heritage.
"Şanlıurfa deserves this," Erdoğan said, highlighting the city's contributions to medicine, mathematics, astronomy, geometry, physics and philosophy.
He cited scientists including Al-Battani, Sinan ibn Thabit, Ibn Wasif of Harran and Yunus al-Harrani, as well as the city's ancient site of Göbeklitepe.
He also said that Türkiye continues its success in the defense industry. "We are carrying out a complete revolution in this field," he said.
The last day of the event and the closing ceremony were expected to be attended by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz.
