Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, aiming to bring Bursa-specific values to the city economy by branding them, registered Bursa Silk after registering the Bursa Knife. Thus, the number of Bursa’s products with Geographical Indication Registration Certificate increased to 11.
Bursa, which was the last stop of the historical silk road in Anatolia and produced silk carpets and fabrics that adorned the palaces of the world, especially Topkapı in the Ottoman period, is showcased again with its world-famous silk after about 2 centuries. Although it was one of the most important parts of Turkish culture, Bursa silk took its place among the dusty shelves of history when silk factories were closed one by one after the removal of the funds on silk with the Customs of Union and the farmers started cutting mulberry trees on the grounds that they could not earn money. Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, which started the project of ‘Bursa Silk Comes to Life’ in 2013 in order to return Bursa silk, which is the most strategic product of the Ottoman Empire and which Europe did not even tax for years, to its former glorious days, resumed the silk production years later at the Muradiye Silk Factory, which was established in 1790 and employed 270 workers when it was founded. In the second phase of the project, the historical silk weaving factory, abandoned to its fate, was opened as the Umurbey Silk Production and Design Center. Weaving workshops were established in 16 points where mulberry cultivation is widespread in Orhaneli, Harmancık, Keles and Büyükorhan districts, which are the mountain districts of Bursa that most immigration movements take place, and İhsaniye Village of İnegöl. Silk, which has not been produced in Bursa for years, started to turn into rare carpets in the skillful hands of peasant women who were trained in weaving.
Bursa’s Silk was Registered
Taking decisive steps in branding values unique to Bursa, the application made by the Metropolitan Municipality on August 12, 2015 to obtain a Geographical Indication Registration Certificate for Bursa silk was accepted. While the necessary examinations and researches were carried out by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Authority under the Ministry of Industry and Technology, registration of Bursa Silk was completed on March 29, 2019. After the completion of the public display objection periods, the process was recently completed and Bursa Silk became the 11th product of Bursa with a Geographical Indication Registration Certificate. Following up the registration process on behalf of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, Erdem Kaya Patent Company General Manager Erdem Kaya visited Metropolitan Mayor Alinur Aktaş and delivered the registration certificate.
This value must be protected
Stating that the registration process for Bursa silk was recently completed, Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Alinur Aktaş said, “Like the pickle of Gedelek of Orhangazi, like Karacabey’s Onion, and İnegöl’s Meatball, Bursa’s Silk has also become the 11th product of our Bursa with a Geographical Indication Registration Certificate. From now on, our municipality will work on keeping the silk of Bursa alive, but our recommendation to our fellow sellers in Bursa and to anyone who does business in this field is to own and protect this value. I believe that Bursa silk, one of the pride of Bursa, will turn into more economic value for Bursa with this registration. Bursa’s silk had already belonged to Bursa, so we obtained a registration certificate for it. The emergence of this silk originating from Bursa is important and valuable for us in all processes from the leaf eaten by the animal in the cocoon to the distribution of the silk as a product. We will now be concerned about introducing and explaining this value of ours to the world ”.
With the application of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, following the registrations of Karacabey Onion, Orhangazi’s Gedelek Pickle, Iznik’s Tile, İnegöl’s Meatball, Gürsu’s Deveci Pear, Gemlik’s Olive, Gemlik’s Horse, Bursa’s Peach, Bursa’s Black Fig and Bursa’s Knife, Bursa’s Silk became the 11th registered product of the city with the Geographical Indication Registration Certificate.
BURSA METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY
Date: 10.12.2019
