Türkiye's premier technology, aviation and space festival, Teknofest, kicked off its special maritime-themed edition, "Teknofest Blue Homeland," in Istanbul on Thursday.
The four-day event, hosted by the Istanbul Shipyard Command, will highlight Türkiye’s naval strength and cutting-edge technologies, opening its doors to visitors on Aug. 28-31.
Competitions will feature unmanned underwater systems, underwater rockets, and autonomous maritime vehicles.
The Turkish Naval Forces Command will also showcase some of its most advanced vessels, including the TCG Anadolu amphibious assault ship, TCG Istanbul frigate, TCG Burgazada anti-submarine corvette, TCG Oruçreis frigate, TCG Nusret minelayer, as well as the TCG Sakarya and TCG Hızırreis submarines.
Those who register online can view the events, which will be open to the public on Aug. 30 and Aug. 31. Visits to the event will be conducted in three separate sessions: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.; each visitor will be limited to one session.
As part of the event, special competitions that aim to promote understanding of Türkiye's maritime jurisdiction areas among younger generations will also be organized. These include competitions on writing essays and crafting original paintings on the "Blue Homeland" theme.
The Blue Homeland Painting Competition aims to help elementary and middle school students develop their imaginations and expressive abilities through painting. Participants are asked to create an original painting on the theme of "blue homeland," which will be shared on Türkiye's new social media platform, NSosyal.
"Blue Homeland" is the name of a doctrine conceived by two former Turkish naval officers, encompassing Türkiye’s maritime jurisdictions, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in line with U.N. resolutions.
The event comes following a mega parade by naval vessels last weekend in Istanbul and is expected to be addressed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later on Thursday.
Selçuk Bayraktar, chairperson of the Teknofest board of directors and the board of trustees of the Türkiye Technology Team Foundation (T3 Foundation), announced on his NSosyal account that special tours of Turkish ships will be organized for the winners of the event.
Since its inception in 2018, Teknofest has been held in several Turkish cities, Azerbaijan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), attracting millions of visitors. A new edition is planned to be held in Istanbul next month.
