On the Way to TEKNOFEST: Gaziantep, a Reunion with an Old Friend and the Legend of Suzi
The ORIENT correspondent’s journey to TEKNOFEST in Şanlıurfa did not begin quite as planned. Due to the large influx of guests and spectators, there were no longer any tickets available on flights to Şanlıurfa, so Gaziantep became the first stop on our route. And perhaps this circumstance turned out to be a fortunate one: it gave us a wonderful opportunity to discover this remarkable city, known far beyond Türkiye for its famous pistachios, rich cuisine, history and distinctive atmosphere.
It was in Gaziantep that a group of journalists from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan gathered. The trip was organized by the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency — TGA — together with the Turkish embassies in our countries. Several eventful days lie ahead of us, with the main highlight being our visit to TEKNOFEST in Şanlıurfa.
Our group was met by someone whom regular ORIENT readers may already remember well — our old acquaintance and friend, Ramazan. Thanks to his stories, we once got to know the sights of Diyarbakır, the famous Hevsel Gardens and the Ten-Eyed Bridge over the Tigris. Now Ramazan will once again accompany our group on a journey through southeastern Türkiye.
And here I would like to share one very personal detail. When I first saw Ramazan several years ago, I was literally struck by how much he resembled my late uncle.
I have very warm, almost childlike memories connected with this man. Whenever he arrived on his red Jawa motorcycle, all the children would gather around him. In those days, such a motorcycle made roughly the same impression that a Harley-Davidson does today. Sitting on his red Jawa, he would look at us through aviator sunglasses gleaming in the sunlight. For some reason, this image has remained particularly vivid in my memory.
Even after I grew up, I always felt a special respect for him, although formally he was not among my closest relatives.
Among Turkmen, in such cases people sometimes jokingly ask: “Why do you care so much about him? Is he your grandmother’s brother — eneň doganymy?” And I would answer: yes, almost. He was the son of my grandmother’s brother.
Perhaps that is why, when I first saw Ramazan and noticed that striking resemblance, it was not simply the memory of a familiar face that stirred inside me, but something much more personal — a feeling from childhood that unexpectedly returned many years later. That is why meeting Ramazan again, now in Gaziantep, became a particularly warm and somewhat symbolic beginning to this journey for me.
Ramazan is also connected with another story that particularly stayed with me from our previous trip — the sad legend of Suzi and Adil, associated with the Ten-Eyed Bridge, Kırklar Mountain and the Tigris River.
According to the legend, a family belonging to the Assyrian Orthodox community had been childless for a long time. The parents prayed for a child, and one day their prayers were answered — a daughter was born to them, whom they named Suzi. When the girl grew up, she met a young Muslim man named Adil. They fell in love.
They had to keep their feelings secret. While their families were attending religious services, the young couple would meet in secret, trying not to attract attention. But one day tragedy struck: Suzi fell into the waters of the Tigris. According to one version of the legend, Adil immediately jumped in after her, trying to save the woman he loved. They could not be saved.
Thus, this tragic story became part of the collective memory of Diyarbakır. The legend survived not only through oral storytelling. Over time, it became the folk song “Suzan Suzi,” which is also known in modern performances.
The folk song “Suzan Suzi” can be listened to on Spotify.
At the end of his story, Ramazan added his own reflection: perhaps the meaning of this story is also that nothing can be hidden from God. Thus, an ancient legend of love becomes at the same time a story about human feelings, collective memory and a moral warning.
And now, years later, this new meeting with an old acquaintance has become a kind of continuation of that earlier journey.
Ahead of us are Şanlıurfa and TEKNOFEST Güneydoğu, which will be held from September 30 to October 4 on the grounds of GAP Airport. According to preliminary estimates, more than 12,000 people are expected to take part in the event.
As reported by Anadolu Agency, this year’s festival has prepared a number of new and first-time projects and spaces. TEKNOFEST will bring together technology competitions, scientific and educational programmes, aviation events, workshops and interactive areas for visitors of different ages.
One of the distinctive features of the festival in Şanlıurfa will be its effort to connect the region’s millennia-old history with the technologies of the future. Among the new areas is an interactive space dedicated to Göbeklitepe, where one of humanity’s oldest archaeological heritages will be presented using modern visual technologies.
The festival will also feature projects dedicated to the development of advanced materials, engineering solutions, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing technologies. Separate spaces will tell the story of humanity’s journey from the first tools and materials to sensors, robotics and intelligent systems.
A significant part of the programme is devoted to aviation. The history of humanity’s aspiration to fly will be presented alongside modern aviation developments, while special interactive areas will be available for the youngest visitors, allowing children to discover aviation through play and education.
Agricultural technologies will also receive special attention at TEKNOFEST. Visitors will be introduced to autonomous agricultural systems using artificial intelligence, computer vision technologies, sensors, agricultural drones, robotic solutions, technologies for the rational use of water resources and modern food technologies.
The technology competitions cover dozens of fields — from rocketry, unmanned systems, autonomous transportation and satellite technologies to microelectronics, artificial intelligence and other promising areas.
But our upcoming coverage of TEKNOFEST will not be only about machines, developments and figures. In its forthcoming materials, ORIENT will try to convey the atmosphere of the festival, introduce readers to its participants and guests, highlight the most interesting technologies and, of course, show Şanlıurfa itself and other places in southeastern Türkiye that we encounter along the way.
Our journey has already begun — with an unexpected stop in Gaziantep, a city famous for its pistachios; a warm reunion with an old friend; and a story that once again reminded us how closely the past and present are intertwined in this region.
Nurmurad Yylkybayev
