ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s flagship technology, aviation, and space festival TEKNOFEST will kick off its special maritime-themed edition, 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 Navy 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 Orucreis frigate, TCG Nusret minelayer, as well as the TCG Sakarya and TCG Hizirreis submarines.

Alongside military technology, TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland will host exhibitions on maritime history and culture, interactive virtual reality (VR) experiences, and a series of conferences.

Those who register online can view the events, which will be open to the public on August 30 and 31.

Visits to the event will be conducted in three separate sessions: 9.00 am to 12.00 pm, 12.00 pm to 3.00 pm, and 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm; each visitor will be limited to one session.

The Blue Homeland Article and Picture Competitions, which will be held as part of the event, aim to promote understanding among younger generations of Türkiye's maritime jurisdiction areas, national security policies, and geopolitical vision, and to develop scientific, critical, and creative perspectives on these issues.

In the essay competition, high school, undergraduate, and graduate students will be asked to prepare original essays between 500 and 1,000 words. The essays will be shared on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

This competition aims to improve high school students' research and critical thinking skills, as well as academic analysis and scientific approaches at the university level.

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 NSosyal.

Selcuk Bayraktar, chairman 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.

As part of TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland, a grand parade was held in the Bosphorus Strait with the participation of the Turkish Navy's elite platforms.

The event, held under the auspices of the presidency and hosted by the Ministry of National Defense, carried the excitement of national technology from the Bosphorus to all of Türkiye.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also greeted the distinguished ships of the Turkish Navy as they passed through the Istanbul Strait from Dolmabahce and posted on his social media account: "Blue Homeland journey with our strong and powerful navy during our Victory Week, etched in history in golden letters."