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Türkiye’s premier technology, aviation and space festival, Teknofest, drew more than 1 million visitors in Istanbul this week, organizers said Sunday, as Syria took part for the first time.
The five-day event at Ataturk Airport, organized by the Turkish Technology Team Foundation (T3) and the Industry and Technology Ministry, welcomed 1.03 million people, according to figures posted on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.
“My gratitude goes to everyone who walked this path with us in the TRNC, the Blue Homeland and Istanbul,” said Selcuk Bayraktar, the event’s director, referring to Teknofest’s spin-offs in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Türkiye’s maritime-focused “Blue Homeland” edition.
Damascus framed its first-ever participation as an opportunity to reintroduce Syrian innovation to regional and global markets. “It is a gateway for Syrian industries to showcase their potential and build cooperation with Turkish and international companies,” said Wassim al-Omar, secretary to Syria’s deputy economy and industry minister.
AvioTech, a Syrian-founded company based in Türkiye’s Gaziantep province, unveiled its first fully Syrian-made drone for agricultural use. “The model on display can carry 35 liters of pesticides or seeds,” founder Hussein Ali said, adding that engineers are developing civilian applications from firefighting to parcel delivery.
Another exhibitor, Afko, showcased pivot irrigation systems capable of covering plots larger than 30 hectares. Company representative Homam Afoura said the goal is to transfer the know-how back to Syria to strengthen food security.
This year’s edition featured competitions in 58 main and 137 subcategories, spanning aerospace, robotics and advanced manufacturing. More than 1 million applicants from 96 countries registered for the Teknofest competitions.
Held annually since 2018, the festival has become a platform for young innovators, supported by government agencies, universities and private companies. Last year’s events attracted nearly 11 million visitors.
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In even-numbered years, Teknofest is staged in cities across Türkiye; in odd-numbered years, it returns to Istanbul. It has also been held in Azerbaijan and the TRNC.
Including this year’s Istanbul edition as well as events in TRNC and Blue Homeland, Teknofest has welcomed about 1.5 million visitors in 2025.
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