Music Cities meet in Şanlıurfa, Türkiye

Member Cities of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) met in the historic city of Şanlıurfa, Türkiye from October 11 through October 15, 2026. The meeting was hosted by the City of Şanlıurfa, led by Mayor Mehmet Kasim Gülpinar, and Focal Point Ms. Elif Esra Önal and her team with Erdal Kahyaoglu.

The meeting demonstrated the close connections between UNESCO’s World Heritage sites, the Creative Cities Network, and the Intangible Cultural Heritage program. Participants experienced the seamless integration of all three of this critical UNESCO programs focused on cultural heritage. The historic city of Şanlıurfa, Türkiye highlighted their efforts to reinvest in the historic sites, buildings and public spaces in the city and the region.

Located in southeastern Türkiye, Şanlıurfa is a cradle of ancient civilizations and home to Göbeklitepe, the world’s oldest known temple complex.

As a UNESCO Creative City of Music, Şanlıurfa offers a vibrant musical tradition rooted in millennia of cultural exchange, spiritual expression, and community gatherings such as Sıra Gecesi.

UCOM 2026 theme was“Tracing the Roots of Music: From the Zero Point of History to the Modern World.” 

Member Cities included Brno, Bydgoszcz, Da Lat, Daegu, Glasgow, Hannover, Idanha-a-Nova, Kansas City, Kirsehir, Leiria, Llíria, Mannheim, Metz, Port Louis, Ramallah, Tallinn, Varaždin,  Veszprém, Évian-les-Bains, and Wuxi. 

The program included several speakers, including Mayor Gülpinar, the President of the Turkish National Commission to UNESCO, and well-respected scholar of Turkish Cultural Heritage – Prof. Dr. M. Öcal Oğuz. Dr. Jacob Wagner (Kansas City), Coordinator of the Music Subnetwork also shared an update on the vision of the Music Cities. 

An amazing culinary and musical program was shared by the Host City.

Live musical and dance performances included a fantastic duet by Nurniran (Piano) & Nurnilay PINAR (Voice), and the amazing singer Pervin Okur with her group based in Istanbul. A most entertaining group from Kirsehir, Turkiye joined the festivies and showed everyone how to dance!

Cemile Cabbar (Pianist) and İbrahim Halil Turgut (Tenor) from Ankara State Opera and Ballet (Türkiye) delivered a powerful performance.

The Pitești Philharmonic Orchestra (Romania) led by Maestro / Conductor Ivan Iliev, and featuring soloist Marius Boldea (Pianist) blew the roof off of the venue with their enthusiasm and precision. 

Clarinet Quartet (Zagreb, Croatia) including Bruno Philipp, Marko Zavišić, Božan Bejo, and Lovre Lučić inspired all of the former clarinet players in the room with their smoking sounds!

Kırşehir Municipality Abdal Music Ensemble (Kırşehir, Türkiye) accompanied by Nâzım Köksal (Deputy Mayor of Kırşehir Municipality) offered a profound performance of local musical heritage, reminding the audience of the 2021 performance of Kırşehir for the Voyage of the Drum.

The Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality Urfa Ahengi Sıra Gecesi Ensemble (Şanlıurfa, Türkiye) impressed everyone with their mastery of the local musical traditions.

A thematic session connected the theme of the meeting to the cultural heritage of music in Urfa. Local instruments and songwriting traditions were explained and shared.

A very meaningful presentation on Music Education was shared by Ahmet Dağlar, Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality Conservatory Director – who proposed the question: “How does a City keep its music alive?” The answer to this question was a compelling framework that may be adaptable to other UNESCO Cities of Music.

Margarita Dağlar and Ahmet Dağlar later performed a very perfumed concert where each song was matched with its own scent!

In addition, the award-winning Vox Humanis Polphonic Choir performed for the UCCN Music City delegates in a special concert – demonstrating their command of the Anatolian musical heritage.

Later in the evening – participants joined the Mayor and special guests for a fine musical performance and religious ceremony of the Mevlana Complex Foundation Sema Performance. This evening highlighted the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Mevlevi Sema ceremony of the Sufis recognized by UNESCO in 2008.

New Music Cities presented their recent and upcoming activities – including Wuxi, China, Kirsehir, Turkiye, Evian, France and Kyiv, Ukraine. Evian announced an upcoming project that will bring together the youth in cities around the world focused on lakes and water.

The final evening featured more musical and culinary delights hosted in the newly restored and renovated Barutcu House of Culture and Art.

Local vendors featured their arts and crafts for the participants in this amazing historic courtyard building in the city’s historic center.

Overall it was a great success and all of the UNESCO Music Cities share a deep gratitude for the hospitality of the Mayor and team in Şanlıurfa, Türkiye! 

Yakında tekrar görüşmek üzere

 

Mayor Paco García Latorre (Lliria Spain), Councilwoman Melissa Robinson (Kansas City) and Lord Mayor Christelle Pondard of Port Louis, Mauritius at the meeting.

Local musician and music teacher explains the two main types of saz in Urfa music.

 

Members of the Vox Humanis Choir prepare to sing (https://voxhumanis.com/)