An employee at the German based firm MichelFelder factory in Bursa assembling exhaust systems for Renault cars.  Credit: Kerem Uzel for The National
An employee at the German based firm MichelFelder factory in Bursa assembling exhaust systems for Renault cars. Credit: Kerem Uzel for The National

Bursa, the old Turkish town with new vitality



BURSA, TURKEY // When Funda Surer moved from Istanbul, Turkey's vibrant metropolis and cultural centre, to the provincial industrial city of Bursa 15 years ago, her friends could barely hide their disdain. But in recent years, that attitude has changed. "It is much easier to get a good job here than in Istanbul, especially if you are an engineer." Quality of life is also better, said Ms Surer, a marketing manager for a German company. "We are only about half an hour both from the mountains and the sea."

Bursa, a former Ottoman capital surrounded by olive groves and nestled in the green foothills of the Uludag mountain range close to the southern shore of the Sea of Marmara, has a long history as an industrial city. But now, strengthened by its share in Turkey's rise as an economic power in recent years, the city of 1.9 million people has started to step out of the shadow of its giant neighbour, Istanbul, home to at least 12 million people and Turkey's economic centre.

When Michael Hormann's company, Michelfelder, a mid-sized German firm that produces metal tubes for car exhaust pipes, decided to open its first branch abroad two years ago, it settled on Bursa, about 100km south of Istanbul. The choice paid off. "We have seen our turnover rise 100 per cent in a year," Mr Hormann, a cheerful 48-year-old from southern Germany, said during an interview in his office in an industrial park on the outskirts of Bursa last week. Over the same period he has seen the city around him change rapidly. "The scale of construction that is going on here is gigantic," he said.

Bursa has joined several other Anatolian cities that challenge Istanbul's dominance with their own increasing economic power and a growing self-confidence. "There definitely has been an explosion in Bursa," Sahabettin Harput, the governor of Bursa province, said in an interview in his plush office in the historic city centre, referring to the city's growing importance. "Bursa is its own trademark." Not long ago, people said "Anatolia cannot do this or cannot do that", the governor said. "Those days are over."

Hundreds of foreign companies have settled in Bursa's industrial zones, which have become centres of Turkey's automotive and textile industries. Almost two-thirds of the roughly 800,000 vehicles that Turkey is expected to export to foreign markets this year are assembled in Bursa, Mr Harput said. Thousands of people work in giant car factories that produce vehicles for global companies like Renault and Fiat to be sold on the growing Turkish market or to be shipped to Europe.

Last year, Renault announced that it will start mass production of a high-tech electric car, the Fluence, in Bursa, starting in 2011. Renault declined a request for a visit to the planned production site, citing a need to keep the technology confidential. "From Bursa to the world arena", read a giant banner on the Renault factory outside the city. Turkish officials hailed Renault's move as a big honour and a watershed for Turkey, a country that has long been viewed as poor and backward in the West. "Renault made the decision despite Sarkozy," joked one official, referring to the French president, who is Europe's most prominent opponent to Turkey's bid to become a member of the EU.

Equally important for Bursa's self-esteem was another event this year. Bursaspor, the local football club, dethroned the much bigger and richer football clubs in Istanbul by becoming the first national football champion from outside Istanbul in decades, a fact that has boosted the pride of people in Bursa immensely. Now the city will host world-renowned teams such as Manchester United in the Champions' League.

"The championship has definitely helped to put Bursa on the map," said Turker Erturk, the director of the BTSO Organised Industrial Estate, Bursa's and Turkey's oldest industrial park. Mr Harput, the governor, agreed. "Bursa plays in the big league now," he said. "And that is not only true for football." The rise of Bursa and other Anatolian cities was "healthy" for Turkey, he said. Now he wants to take the city further by turning it into a centre of culture and wellness tourism. Bursa has already become a favourite destination for many visitors from Arab countries with its mixture of Ottoman history, a cool climate and thermal baths.

The governor has toured international tourism fairs, including one in Dubai, and several hotel projects underway in the city will add 3,000 beds to Bursa's tourism sector. "Tourism will be our new engine of growth," the governor said. He wants to boost job training for potential employees in the tourism sector and at the same time slow the growth of industries that have a potential to harm the environment.

The governor does not want to see additional smokestack factories in his province. "It's enough now," he said. "We want high-tech companies, like firms dealing with nano-technology."

tseibert@thenational.ae

Company%20Profile
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Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

SERIE A FIXTURES

Saturday (UAE kick-off times)

Atalanta v Juventus (6pm)

AC Milan v Napoli (9pm)

Torino v Inter Milan (11.45pm)

Sunday

Bologna v Parma (3.30pm)

Sassuolo v Lazio (6pm)

Roma v Brescia (6pm)

Verona v Fiorentina (6pm)

Sampdoria v Udinese (9pm)

Lecce v Cagliari (11.45pm)

Monday

SPAL v Genoa (11.45pm)

A%20QUIET%20PLACE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lupita%20Nyong'o%2C%20Joseph%20Quinn%2C%20Djimon%20Hounsou%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMichael%20Sarnoski%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Saturday's results

West Ham 2-3 Tottenham
Arsenal 2-2 Southampton
Bournemouth 1-2 Wolves
Brighton 0-2 Leicester City
Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool
Everton 0-2 Norwich City
Watford 0-3 Burnley

Manchester City v Chelsea, 9.30pm 

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi

  

 

 

 

Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.

 
The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)

'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press

Tottenham's 10 biggest transfers (according to transfermarkt.com):

1). Moussa Sissokho - Newcastle United - £30 million (Dh143m): Flop

2). Roberto Soldado - Valencia -  £25m: Flop

3). Erik Lamela - Roma -  £25m: Jury still out

4). Son Heung-min - Bayer Leverkusen -  £25m: Success

5). Darren Bent - Charlton Athletic -  £21m: Flop

6). Vincent Janssen - AZ Alkmaar -  £18m: Flop

7). David Bentley - Blackburn Rovers -  £18m: Flop

8). Luka Modric - Dynamo Zagreb -  £17m: Success

9). Paulinho - Corinthians -  £16m: Flop

10). Mousa Dembele - Fulham -  £16m: Success

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

Smart words at Make Smart Cool

Make Smart Cool is not your usual festival. Dubbed “edutainment” by organisers Najahi Events, Make Smart Cool aims to inspire its youthful target audience through a mix of interactive presentation by social media influencers and a concert finale featuring Example with DJ Wire. Here are some of the speakers sharing their inspiration and experiences on the night.
Prince Ea
With his social media videos accumulating more half a billion views, the American motivational speaker is hot on the college circuit in the US, with talks that focus on the many ways to generate passion and motivation when it comes to learning.
Khalid Al Ameri
The Emirati columnist and presenter is much loved by local youth, with writings and presentations about education, entrepreneurship and family balance. His lectures on career and personal development are sought after by the education and business sector.
Ben Ouattara
Born to an Ivorian father and German mother, the Dubai-based fitness instructor and motivational speaker is all about conquering fears and insecurities. His talk focuses on the need to gain emotional and physical fitness when facing life’s challenges. As well managing his film production company, Ouattara is one of the official ambassadors of Dubai Expo2020.

The specs: 2019 Jeep Wrangler

Price, base: Dh132,000

Engine: 3.6-litre V6

Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 285hp @ 6,400rpm

Torque: 347Nm @ 4,100rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 9.6L to 10.3L / 100km

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

The low down

Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films

Director: Namrata Singh Gujral

Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark

Rating: 2/5

Community Shield info

Where, when and at what time Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday at 5pm (UAE time)

Arsenal line up (3-4-2-1) Petr Cech; Rob Holding, Per Mertesacker, Nacho Monreal; Hector Bellerin, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain; Alex Iwobi, Danny Welbeck; Alexandre Lacazette

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

Chelsea line up (3-4-2-1) Thibaut Courtois; Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Gary Cahill; Victor Moses, Cesc Fabregas, N'Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso; Willian, Pedro; Michy Batshuayi

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte

Referee Bobby Madley

Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5


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