Longest Shish Kebab - world record set by Murat Aksu
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA -- Award-winning regional magazine for women, "I AM Modern," along with Coca Cola North America,
sponsored
a Shish kebab made by Turkish entrepreneur Murat Aksu and his team, measuring
18 feet and 7 5/8 inches or 5.68 meters
during the 8th annual Turkish Festival in downtown D.C. - which sets the new world record for theLongest Shish Kebab. Photo: TheWorld's Longest Shish Kebabwas measured at almost 18.5 feet (5.76 meters) and cost some $4,000 to make. (enlarge photo)
The eighth edition of theTurkish festivalwas organized by the American Turkish Association of Washington, D.C, (ATA-DC) and took place at Freedom Plaza, near the White House. This year?s festival was titled ?Explore the Wonders of Turkey in the Heart of D.C.?
At the admission-free festival visitors also got a chance to try Turkish cuisine. The festival goers formed long queues to buy food from the booths set up by local Turkish restaurants. Murat Aksu and his team?s cooked shish kebab was measured by State of Virginia certified surveyors from Bowman Consulting. The surveying team led by Charles Powell measured the skewered kebab meat at 18 feet and 7 5/8 inches or 5.68 meters.
"I am grateful to all of our sponsors, my team of volunteers and Bowman Consulting for making this attempt a success? said Murat Aksu.
?We thought someone must have made the longest shish kebab, or döner, but we could not find such an entry in the Guinness World Records book." Aksu said the kebab was eaten by the visitors very quickly. ?Our goal with our sponsorship was to draw attention to diverse cultures that co-exist in the Metro DC area? said Hulya Aksu, publisher of I Am Modern Magazine. ?The hi-light of the event for us was to hear the cheers and applauses of the 1000s of spectators as the shish kebab was successfully cooked.?
The 8th festival gathered around 15 thousand people who enjoyed the Turkish and Azeri dances, entertainment, food, sweets, art performances, tourism exhibitions and Turkish coffee.
Photo Gallery: Longest Shish Kebab
Turkish Ambassador to the US Nam?k Tan and his wife, Figen Tan, also attended the festival. Ambassador Tan said the festival was getting bigger and better each year. According to the Turkish Embassy in Washington DC, more than USD $80,000 were spent on the festival. The volunteer team of Longest Shish Kebab included Selim Aksu, Jada Aksu, Hasan Tahsin Vonal, Tunay Vonal, James Concannon, Nalan Concannon, Yasemin Atalay, Michael Vonal, Hakan Vonal, Talia Vonal, Ali Vonal, Defne Guney Vonal, Arthur Guney and Chris Boek. Bowman Consulting team was led by Charles Powell (Surveyor) and included Charles Walls (Professional Surveyor), and Pandeli Stoja (PhD).
The previous Guinness World record for the Longest Shish Kebabmeasured 11.5 feet (3.5 metres) and was made on April 21st, 2007 in the Ayazi Restaurant, Israel.
