Bursa Included in UNESCO Creative Cities Network with Tile and Silk

Bursa, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014 with the Khans Area, Sultan Complexes and Cumalıkızık, is now included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of 'craft and folk arts', where tiles and Bursa silk are at the forefront. Thus, Bursa was among the 295 cities in the world that are members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

With its historical and cultural values, natural riches and tourism potential, Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, which has made great efforts to increase the share of Bursa from tourism, has started to reap the fruits of its efforts for the promotion of the city in the international arena. The Metropolitan Municipality, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014 with the candidacy file titled "Bursa and Cumalıkızık: The Birth of the Ottoman Empire", prepared under the coordination of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, and made the Hanlar Region, Sultan Complexes and Cumalıkızık a universal heritage, UNESCO Creative Cities He achieved his goal in his efforts to be included in the Network. Following the works initiated by the Metropolitan Municipality with the slogan 'From Traditional to Universal' and supported by BEBKA and the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, the application file prepared in the branch of 'craft and folk arts', together with Sivas's file, was submitted to UNESCO's Paris by UNESCO Turkey National Commission. was sent to the center.

Only Bursa from Turkey

The meeting where the cities that will be included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in 2021, which support UNESCO's cultural diversity ideals, are determined, was held at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris the previous day. At the meeting, in which 49 cities around the world were included in the Creative Cities Network, it was decided that Bursa from Turkey would also be a member of the 'craft and folk arts' branch. With this decision, Bursa became one of the 295 cities in the UNESCO Creative City Network and became the 7th city in the Network after Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, Kütahya, Afyonkarahisar and Kırşehir from Turkey.

Announcing that 2021 cities were declared UNESCO Creative Cities in 49 with a written statement, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said, “Everyone; "We invite you to work with states to strengthen international cooperation between cities that UNESCO aims to promote," he said.

UNESCO Turkey National Commission also thanked Bursa Metropolitan Municipality for successfully conducting the process.

we deserved

Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Alinur Aktaş said that they are pleased with the positive results of their recent efforts to ensure that Bursa gets the share it deserves from tourism. Expressing that Bursa's most important wealth in terms of tourism is its historical and cultural heritage, President Aktaş said, “Our membership application to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the branch of Crafts and Folk Arts has also been accepted. As you know, only Bursa and Sivas files were sent to UNESCO among 12 files from Turkey. And it was announced that only Bursa from Turkey was accepted as a member of the Network. Thus, Bursa's craft and folk arts, especially Bursa Silk and Iznik Tile, have become universal values. I would especially like to thank Bursa Eskişehir Bilecik Development Agency, our Provincial Directorate of Culture and non-governmental organizations for their support throughout the process. Bursa already deserved it. Good luck,” he said.