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Kahramanmaras has become the first city in Türkiye to be named a UNESCO City of Literature, joining the U.N. agency’s Creative Cities Network in recognition of its poetry tradition, literary history and cultural contributions.
The decision was announced in Paris during World Cities Day events on Friday, according to UNESCO.
On World Cities Day 2025, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay announced 58 new members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, bringing the total to 408 cities across over 100 countries.
For the first time, the network added a new category, Creative Cities of Architecture, joining the existing seven fields of crafts and folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts and music.
“UNESCO Creative Cities demonstrate that culture and creative industries can be concrete drivers of development,” Azoulay said.
“By welcoming 58 new cities, we are strengthening a network where creativity supports local initiatives, attracts investments, and promotes social cohesion.”
Ten cities were named UNESCO Cities of Literature this year: Aberystwyth (Wales), Abuja (Nigeria), Celje (Slovenia), Conakry (Guinea), Dumaguete City (Philippines), Gdansk (Poland), Kahramanmaraş (Türkiye), Lund (Sweden), San Luis Potosí (Mexico) and Tangier (Morocco).
The new designations bring the total number of UNESCO Cities of Literature to 63.
Metropolitan Mayor Firat Gorgel congratulated the achievement in a post on X on Friday, saying, “We are proud to be the first city in Türkiye to receive the ‘City of Literature’ title.”
“Today, Kahramanmaras stands as a symbol of a nation’s collective memory and the rebirth of a civilization through words,” he said.
Gorgel described the honor as a tribute to a civilization shaped by the spoken word, a culture nurtured in “book-scented streets,” and generations of writers and thinkers who have defined the city’s literary identity.
“This title is the crowning of a literary tradition embodied in Sutcu Imam’s resistance, Abdurrahim Karakoc’s verses, Cahit Zarifoglu’s prayers, Sezai Karakoc’s hopes, and Necip Fazil Kısakurek’s lines,” Gorgel said.
He concluded his post by saying that from now on, when the world speaks of literature, Kahramanmaras will resonate.
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