11th century church ruins found in Balıkesir

Ruins of a church dating back 800 years have been unearthed at the ancient city of Adramytteion in the northwestern Turkish province of Balıkesir’s Burhaniye district.

The find comes just two weeks before the end of this year’s seasonal works.

Murat Özgen, the director of the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Northern Aegean Research and Application Center, said excavations at Adramytteion have been continuing since 2012.

“This year excavations have continued in a field on the Ören Hill, which we call ‘Region C.’ A big church was found during excavations between 2000 and 2006, dating back to the 11th century. During the works two years ago we found the apse of the church. We already knew there was destruction in the 11th century. The latest church we have found confirms this knowledge as it was destroyed. Now we have two weeks to finish the works here. Our reconstruction plan for protection has also been approved,” Özgen said.

Urartian necropolis reveals burial customs

Excavations in a Urartian necropolis in the eastern province of Van’s Çavuştepe Castle, which has been plundered by treasure hunters in recent years, provide important details about Urartian burial customs. 

The Culture and Tourism Ministry has initiated excavations to rescue the necropolis in the castle. During the excavations, a tomb was unearthed with the skeletons of a man and a woman. Officials believe they were husband and wife because they were buried together. 

A bronze belt, tray, seal and several bronze jewelries were also found in the tomb. 

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/urartian-necropolis-reveals-burial-customs-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=118185&NewsCatID=375 

Tens of thousands of coffee lovers flock to festival in Istanbul

Tens of thousands of coffee lovers flocked to the Istanbul Coffee Festival held between Sept. 21 and 24 to sip on different kinds of coffees from all around the world. 

The 4th Istanbul Coffee Festival was held at Küçükçiftlikpark in Istanbul’s Beşiktaşdistrict, featuring workshops and seminars related to coffee, live performances and talks with coffee experts and the world’s leading baristas. 

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tens-of-thousands-of-coffee-lovers-flock-to-festival-in-istanbul-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=118361&NewsCatID=377 

11,500-year-old settlement unearthed in Hasankeyf

A settlement from 11,500 years ago has been unearthed in the Hasankeyf Mound on the Tigris River’s coastline in the fifth stage of archaeology works at the ancient town of Hasankeyf in the southeastern province of Batman, which has been initiated with the Ilısu Dam HES project protection and rescue works of the cultural heritage. 

The head of the excavations in Hasankeyf, Assistant Professor Mevlüt Eliüşük, said 12 Japanese archaeologists are also working in the mound. “Excavations continued in the settlement in the first three months and then the conservation of findings was made. Analyses revealed that the settlement in Hasankeyf Mound dates back to 9,500 B.C., which is 11,500 years ago,” he added.  

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/11500-year-old-settlement-unearthed-in-hasankeyf-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=118364&NewsCatID=375

Searching for traces of ancient Temple of Athena in Turkey’s Manisa

In the Yuntdağı region of the western province of Manisa’s Yunusemre district, excavation works have commenced in order to unearth the Temple of Athena in the ancient city of Aigai.

Archeologists have rolled up their sleeves to find the Temple of Athena, in the 2,800-year-old ancient city of Aigai, which appeared in 19th-century excavation research by German archeologists.

The excavation works are being conducted under the supervision of Yusuf Sezgin, assistant professor of archeology at Manisa Celal Bayar University. The Temple of Athena is expected to be erected in at least two months after the definite localization of the temple.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/searching-for-traces-of-ancient-temple-of-athena-in-turkeys-manisa.aspx?pageID=238&nID=118049&NewsCatID=375 

Fire of Anatolia to draw attention to refugee tragedy

The Fire of Anatolia dance troupe is readying to stage new performances to draw attention to the tragedies refugees experience in Turkey, Mustafa Erdoğan, the general director of the group, has said.  

The Fire of Anatolia, which has performed 4,000 shows in 97 countries since 2002, takes the stage two days a week in the Aspendos Arena in the southern province of Antalya. Guided by hundreds of thousands of years of mythological and cultural history of Anatolia, the dance troupe presents a cultural festivity on the stage with 3,000 folk dance figures. 

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/fire-of-anatolia-to-draw-attention-to-refugee-tragedy-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=118373&NewsCatID=384

Property sales to foreigners in Turkey continue to soar in September

Property sales to foreigners in Turkey continued to rise in August, as a total of 1,684 houses were sold to foreign nationals with an 11.4 percent year-on-year increase, official data showed on Sept. 25. 

Iraqis were again the top buyers with 317 units in August, followed by Saudi Arabians with 198 units, Kuwaitis with 135 units, Russians with 95 units and Afghans with 81 units, according to data from the Turkish Statistics Institute (TÜİK). 

House sales to foreigners in Turkey soared 65.3 percent in July compared to the same period in 2016, mainly due to the high base effect from the failed coup attempt in July 2016. A total of 1,726 properties were sold to foreigners in July. 

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/property-sales-to-foreigners-in-turkey-continue-to-soar-in-september.aspx?pageID=238&nID=118388&NewsCatID=345 

Blind fawn undergoes cataract surgery in Afyon

A two-month-old fawn, which has been found by locals in the western province of Afyonkarahisar after she lost her mother because it was blind, has undergone cataract surgery in the Afyon Kocatepe University (AKU) Veterinary Faculty Health Application and Research Center. 

AKU Wildlife Rescue, Rehabilitation, Education, Research and Application Center (AKUREM) Director Associated Professor Emine Hesna Kandır said the new-born fawn was found some two months ago in the Sultandağı region and taken to the center.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/blind-fawn-undergoes-cataract-surgery-in-afyon.aspx?pageID=238&nID=118241&NewsCatID=378 

Historic Syriac monastery needs attention

A 1,300-year-old historic rock monastery near the Barıştepe village in the southeastern province of Mardin’s Midyat district is waiting to be discovered. 

Also known as the Mor Barsavmo Monastery, where Syriac priests are estranged, some of its outer walls collapsed because of negligence and some of the historic inscriptions were destroyed. 

Rahibi Edip Daniel Savcı, the priest of the Mor Yakup Monastery, said: “We are few in number here, unfortunately we cannot protect structures like this.” 
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/historic-syriac-monastery-needs-attention-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=118284&NewsCatID=375

New culture center in Ankara named after prominent artist Zülfü Livaneli

A new art center in the Turkish capital has been named after intellectual and artist Zülfü Livaneli, with the opening of the center in the Çankaya district of the city attended by Ankara Çankaya Mayor Alper Taşdelen and Livaneli himself.

“I feel great honor to introduce such work to Çankaya and to name the center after Zülfü Livaneli,” Taşdelen said at the opening ceremony over the weekend.

“Livaneli is a branch of the democracy, freedom, peace and brotherhood river that flows both in this country and in the world. He carries the conscience, struggle and idea of the intellectuals,” he added.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/new-culture-center-in-ankara-named-after-prominent-artist-zulfu-livaneli-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=118082&NewsCatID=385 

D EMISSION DU MAIRE D'ISTANBUL

Le maire d'Istanbul Kadir Topbas a annoncé aujourd'hui sa démission après 13 années de mandat pendant lesquelles il a oeuvré à transformer la plus grande ville de Turquie sous l'impulsion du président Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "A compter d'aujourd'hui, je quitte la tête de la municipalité d'Istanbul, je démissionne", a déclaré Topbas, 72 ans, lors d'un point presse dans la mégalopole turque, sans expliquer son geste.
http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2017/09/22/97001-20170922FILWWW00316-demission-du-maire-d-istanbul.php?xtor=EPR-211