Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye’s first UNESCO City of Literature, and Kütahya, the first Turkish city recognized in the field of Crafts and Folk Art, have joined forces for a meaningful artistic collaboration under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) Tandem Project. Designed in line with UCCN’s vision of encouraging peer-to-peer exchange and joint creative output among member cities, the first phase of the initiative was successfully completed in Kütahya.
Bringing together distinct cultural traditions into a shared creative endeavor, the project united Kahramanmaraş poet and writer Tayyip Atmaca with world-renowned tile master (çini) Mehmet Gürsoy. As part of the collaboration, a handcrafted wooden frame brought from Kahramanmaraş was merged with a tile panel featuring the inverted tulip (ters lale)—an iconic symbol of Kahramanmaraş—crafted by Master Gürsoy. Combining the unique heritage of both UNESCO cities into a single masterpiece, the journey was also documented in a travel journal kept by Tayyip Atmaca.
Established by UNESCO in 2004, the Creative Cities Network spans seven creative fields—Literature, Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Gastronomy, Film, Music, and Media Arts—aiming to embed culture into sustainable urban development strategies. Encompassing over 180 cities across 72 countries, the network unleashes local creative potential while fostering international cooperation and cultural diversity. This successful inaugural meeting between Kahramanmaraş and Kütahya stands as a compelling model for revitalizing local heritage within global networks and strengthening inter-city cultural diplomacy.
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