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THE
FIRSTS
OF THE 60 YEARS
THE FIRST LOCALLY
PRODUCED LIGHTBULB
The production of Tekfen
lightbulbs began in 1964,
and Tekfen was the first
(and last) domestic
lightbulb brand of Turkey.
1964
THE FIRST CRUDE OIL
PIPELINE OF TURKEY
The Batman-İskenderun Crude
Oil Pipeline was put out to
tender in 1965, and excluding
some military facilities,
constituted Turkey’s first crude
oil pipeline. Tekfen worked
with two foreign companies in
building the 493-km pipeline.
1965
THE FIRST TURKISH PRESIDENT TO IPLOCA
In 1976, Necati Akçağlılar was elected president
to IPLOCA, the most important professional
body of pipeline contractors. He was followed
by Murat Gigin in 1995 and Osman Birgili in 2011.
1976
TURKEY’S FIRST HYPERMARKET
Founded jointly by Tekfen, the
French Prisunic and the Greater
Municipality of İstanbul in
1988, Belpri was Turkey’s first
“hypermarket.”
1988
THE FIRST FREE-TRADE ZONE
Toros Adana Yumurtalık Free Trade
Zone (TAYSEB) was Turkey’s first free
trade zone for industrial investments,
and was opened in 1998.
1998
THE FIRST ZINC-
SUPPLEMENTED
FERTILIZER
Toros Agri began the
industrial production
of the first zinc-
supplemented fertilizer
in the world in 1995.
1995
THE HIGHEST VIADUCT
The 146-meter high Atatürk Viaduct, built by
Tekfen, was the highest of its kind in Turkey and
the second highest in Europe. The viaduct was
built on an active fault line and could withstand
earthquakes with a magnitude of 8.7.
1998