Bursa Knife, which has a history of nearly 700 years and gained a worldwide reputation by being shaped by skillful hands, meets its enthusiasts at the 'Knife Festival' to be held by Bursa Metropolitan Municipality on June 16-17-18.
Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, which has implemented important projects in order to transfer the cultural richness of Bursa to future generations in the healthiest way, has rolled up its sleeves so that the 700-year-old Bursa Knife can get the value it deserves. The Metropolitan Municipality, which recently opened the exhibition titled 'Sharp Heritage', consisting of a collection of historical knives, swords, wedges, daggers and pocketknife, is now putting its signature under a colorful program before the Eid al-Adha. Bursa Knife, which is rooted in blacksmithing and shaped by skillful hands by keeping it alive with traditional methods, will meet with its enthusiasts at the Bursa Knife Fair and Festival on 16-17-18 June at the Atatürk Congress Culture Center Fairground. In the festival, where the leading names of the sector producing knives will meet under one roof, more than 100 stands will be set up and citizens will be able to do their shopping before Eid al-Adha.
Knife mark in urban culture
The introductory meeting of the festival held at Atatürk Congress and Culture Center Muradiye Hall was attended by Metropolitan Mayor Alinur Aktaş, as well as Bursa Knifemakers Association President Fatih Adliğ, Pirge Yeşilyayla Cutting Tools Company owner Ömer Pirge and sector representatives. Saying that Bursa is a city with values, the Mayor of the Metropolitan Municipality, Alinur Aktaş, said that every event, every subject and every place has a story, and so does the knife. Expressing that Bursa, which became the first capital of the Ottoman Empire with the conquest of Bursa in 1326, was also the center of ironworking, President Aktaş said, “After the 93 War, the craft of knife making has become a tradition in Bursa with the new techniques brought by the Balkan immigrants. With the knives, wedges and swords produced by the skilled craftsmen of Bursa, the weapon needs of the Ottoman army were met, and the swords and daggers of the Turkish army during the Çanakkale and Independence Wars were made by the Bursa knife masters who gave water to the iron with the oath 'The water of the knife is the honor of the knifemaker'. Even today, the city is full of traces of the cutlery culture.”
Industry leaders will attend
Expressing that they are making great efforts to preserve Bursa's cultural values and transfer them to future generations, President Aktaş said, “In this context, we are preparing a colorful festival with events such as exhibitions, competitions and fairs in order to regain the glorious history and recognition of Bursa cutlery, which is famous in the world. We're obsessed with the knife thing. Hopefully, we will carry out sustainable activities in order to turn it into a real economic value in the city. Eight of our companies participated in Europe's largest knife fair held in France on 19-22 May. We aim to bring together the leading names of the sector that produces knives under one roof at the Bursa Knife Fair and Festival, which will be held at Merinos Fairground on 8-16-17 June. At the fair where more than 18 stands will be set up, our citizens will be able to do their shopping before the sacrifice. The participants will be able to watch the shows of the knives, learn from the experts about the craft of knife making with traditional methods, and attend 100 different workshops such as knife throwing, iron forging, wooden knife making and knife sharpening.
colorful events
Explaining that the Knife Contest, which was announced in the past months, attracted great attention, President Aktaş stated that the winners will be determined by the expert jury members from different cities of France, Germany and Turkey and will be announced at the opening of the festival. Noting that 8 knife manufacturers from the earthquake region will take part as participants in the festival and that all the expenses of these companies are covered by themselves, President Aktaş said, “This is the first knife festival in Turkey, where surprise names such as CZN Burak will take place, thanks to exciting events such as e-sports tournaments. I hope our visitors will have a pleasant time. I wish the festival, which aims to introduce the knife heritage to children and young people and to bring them together in fun activities, will be a good one. I would like to thank one of our festival sponsors, Pirge Bıçakçılığı, Bursa Bıçakcılar Association, and everyone who contributed.”
Stating that if the festival is truly embraced, the export dimension of the business could increase even more, President Aktaş stated that the Bursa Knife should be made more valuable and added value. Expressing that the festival will also create an infrastructure for the creation of new designs, President Aktaş said, “Producing new things means increasing the cake of the sector. It will not be like a machine or automotive sector, but it is important that the knife, which is the symbol of Bursa, becomes more valuable. It is my greatest desire to attract the attention of our children and young people in particular. Everyone necessarily uses a knife at home or at work. I invite all our citizens to the festival before Eid al-Adha," he said.