ISTANBUL

The Turkish city of Kahramanmaras has been named a UNESCO City of Literature, becoming the first city in Türkiye to earn the designation.

“Kahramanmaras became the first city from Türkiye to be selected in this field by joining this prestigious network in the ‘literature’ category,” Metropolitan Mayor Firat Gorgel said Friday.

The decision was announced in Paris during World Cities Day events, according to UNESCO.

Gorgel said the city’s deep literary heritage, strong poetic tradition, and growing cultural scene have helped showcase its literary identity nationally and internationally.

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 more than 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), Kahramanmaras (Türkiye), Lund (Sweden), San Luis Potosi (Mexico), and Tangier (Morocco).

The new designations bring the total number of UNESCO Cities of Literature to 63.