In an atmosphere of literary enthusiasm, the 9th Üsküdar Book Fair welcomed first-time bookworms on Friday and, on Saturday, was attended by Speaker of Parliament Numan Kurtulmus, the mayor of the host municipality, and luminaries from the world of writing. The event opened with great fanfare, with many people in attendance.
Hundreds of visitors rushed to participate in this literary festival organized by the city of Üskdar at the Baralbaş Conference and Culture Center.
Approximately 550 authors and dozens of publishers from Turkiye will participate in the nine-day fair, where they will meet readers through autograph sessions and book talks.
In his opening remarks, Kurtulmus emphasized the historical role of Üsküdar and praised the project undertaken by Mayor Hilmi Türkmen, which he said contributed to Istanbul’s historical culture.
“Usküdar is a city steeped in history, but also a city that lives its history in the present.Usküdar is a city that has experienced conquest, and while overlooking the historic peninsula, it is also a city that is living its history in the present. “It’s also a city where there are people,” Kurtulmus said.
“This is a city that will write history in the future with events like this,” he added.
Üsküdar district is one of Istanbul’s oldest and most established residential areas, located on the Asian side of the city and home to city symbols such as the Maiden Tower, Mihrimah Sultan Mosque, Çamlıca Hill, Şemsi Pasha Mosque, and Beylerbey Palace. We are gathering.
It surrounds the city center and borders Beykoz, Umraniye and Kadikoy districts, overlooking the European side of the city dotted with Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia Mosque, Blue Mosque, Galata Tower, Dolmabahce Palace and Besiktas district.
Looking at modern times, especially in recent years, the area is home to many sports facilities, cultural facilities, and programs, and its library is particularly noteworthy.
Highlighting recent projects, Kurtulmus further touched on the importance of books in life, stating that books and reading are “one of the two most important fundamental dynamics of life.” Ta.
“Books are things in which people convey their knowledge, past experiences, current feelings, scientific findings, etc., and give form to their expressions,” he explained.
“But we know that even in a book of small size, what we have, a lot of effort and experience, and not only the person who wrote the book, but also the person who wrote the book. I know that the entire environment and experience that they have had has also taken a lot of hard work and experience, and the growth that these people have been able to have is reflected in the writing in the book.”
“In fact, when you look at a book with this feature, you see that it’s not just a collection of sentences and pages, but a whole life,” he said.
Mr. Türkmen similarly emphasized the historical significance of the district and emphasized that its location and relative proximity to other districts make it very accessible for visiting the ongoing trade fair.
He also acknowledged the high level of attention paid to the trade fair, which reached a record last year with around 200,000 visitors, and said he expected this figure to grow even further this year.
Like every year, the fair features special guests, and this year’s guests of honor are National Defense University President Erhan Afyonk and guest writer Ibrahim Tenekeci.
In addition, this year the organization dedicated a special book talk to Alev Alatur, a prominent Turkish novelist and intellectual who passed away earlier this month.
Catering to a variety of literary tastes, the fair offers a rich selection of titles, from timeless classics to engaging content tailored for young readers. Attendees will have a myriad of titles on offer, with stands open until February 25th, as numerous publishers display a large number of historical works.