Restored sections of Topkapı Palace open

Restored sections of Istanbul’s Topkapı Palace, from where Ottoman emperors ruled territories spanning continents for nearly four centuries, were opened to visitors on Jan. 9.

According to a statement made by the Istanbul Provincial Culture and Tourism Director, the palace’s kitchen and bath, the Cooks’ Mosque, Kalayhane, Harem Hünkar Bath, Valide Sultan Bath, Kuşhane Bath and Arslanlı Garden are now open to visitors.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/restored-sections-of-topkapi-palace-open-140415 

Ancient Turkish cities await holidaymakers

Turkey’s southeastern cities of Diyarbakır and Mardin, home to ancient civilizations, offer a rich cultural and historical experience for travelers.

Basking in its historical glory, Diyarbakır boasts more than 4.82 kilometers of spectacular stone walls that were probably first erected around 2,000 B.C. and are included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ancient-turkish-cities-await-holidaymakers-140416

7 extraordinary traditions in Turkey

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/photo-7-extraordinary-traditions-in-turkey-140332

Turkey hosts most intact Amazon sarcophagus

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/photo-turkey-hosts-most-intact-amazon-sarcophagus-140454#photo-5

Ancient olive seeds unearthed in Turkey's Kilis

Archaeological excavations in Oylum Mound, one of the biggest of its kind in the southeastern Turkey, have unearthed olive seeds from 4,000 years ago. The seeds, found in Kilis along the Turkish-Syrian border, date back the time the Great Pyramids of Egypt were built.

“We’ve discovered dozens of olive seeds inside layers dating back 4,000 years, and various basaltic grinding stones that we think were used to produce olive oil,” Atilla Engin, an archaeology professor at Gaziantep University, told Anadolu Agency.

 

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ancient-olive-seeds-unearthed-in-turkeys-kilis-139308 

 

anadolu agency

The Turkish spring festival Hıdırellez has been added to the UNESCO list of “intangible cultural heritage,” the Culture Ministry has said.
In a statement, the ministry said the celebration had been added at a UNESCO meeting in South Korea.
Turkish communities around the world celebrate Hıdırellez on May 6 while Christians in the Balkans mark it as St. George’s day on April 23.
The roots of the celebration pre-date Islam or Christianity.
According to the Culture Ministry website, some theories say Hıdırellez has stemmed from Mesopotamian and Anatolian cultures while others claim its roots derive from the Turkic peoples of central Asia.
Across the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, different traditions and rituals have developed, many which are focused on bringing good luck with the arrival of spring.
While differing greatly from country to country, the event is often marked with the cleaning of homes and clothes, feasting or ceremonies held near open water or shrines.
Among the Roma community in Turkey’s northwestern province of Çanakkale, dancers in colorful clothing jump over bonfires for good health.
UNESCO has listed at least 14 cultural practices found in Turkey, according to the ministry. These include the Mevlana whirling dervishes, the Karagöz and Hacivat shadow plays, oil-wrestling in Kırkpınar and Turkish coffee.
On Dec. 6, UNESCO listed whistled language, also known as “bird language,” from Turkey’s northern Black Sea region as in urgent need of safeguarding.

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 

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 

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

Excavations in Turkey’s southeast reveal 10,000-year-old belief in afterlife

An excavation in the Dargeçit district of the southeastern region of Turkey, which will soon be left under the reservoir waters of the Ilısu Dam, has revealed crucial information about the North Mesopotamian people’s social life 10 millennia ago, particularly about burial rituals and the ancient belief in life after death.

Bodies buried in the fetal position, with their knees pulled up to their stomach, were found in the basements of houses in the site, symbolizing the position of a baby in the womb, according to information provided by Nihat Erdoğan, the manager of the Mardin Museum who conducts the excavation of the site.

The findings point at belief in rebirth after death, Erdoğan told the Doğan News Agency. 

The decades-old Ilısu Dam project, which was first planned under Southeastern Anatolia Project’s investments in the 1960s, was first tendered in 1997. The potential damage caused by the dam’s construction, which is planned to be finalized this year, has been discussed for a quarter of a century.

Archaeologists have been carrying out intense work since 2008 in the large area, which includes the site known as “Boncuklu Tarla,” literally meaning “beady field” in English.

Houses with quarry stone walls and stiffened clay floors from the Aceramic Neolithic Age, which date back to 10,000 B.C. and 7,000 B.C., were found during the excavations at the site in Dargeçit.

“Since those times, people have used totems or amulets for thousands of years for abundance or spells, as part of their beliefs or as ornaments. Ornaments were made of colorful stones and natural materials such as animal teeth, horn, bone and nails or sea shells that were rubbed, scratched, drilled and stringed together,” said Erdoğan.

“The specific triangular pendants that were found at Boncuklu Tarla shows that the form of amulets, which have been believed to protect people from bad things and illnesses or to bring good luck, have not changed for 10,000 years,” he said.

Along with thousands of beads used in ornaments, obsidian or flint blades, waste from ornament making and stone chipping tools were found at the site.

The tools include blades, gimlets, arrowheads and microliths, said Erdoğan.

Traces of the Neolithic age have been found in several spots in Anatolia, where food production and settled societies had begun, he noted. 

The foundations of today’s civilization were laid during the Neolithic Age, when the socio-economic structures and social classes were formed, triggering rooted changes in human life, he said. 

The Boncuklu Tarla site was discovered in 2008, during a field survey. Its first excavations started in 2012. 
This year’s excavation, which began last week, will last until the end of October and the uncovered artifacts will be exhibited at the Mardin Museum.

July/20/2017 hürriyet daily news

Gaziantep cuisine sets eye on food Oscar

The southeastern city of Gaziantep, which has one of Turkey’s best cuisines and has been included in the UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, now aims to acquire a Michelin Star, known as the Oscar of food, with new restaurants serving unique tastes. 

To attain the goal, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality is seeking to attract new venues to the city, including the Culinary Arts Center (MSM), which features a range of foods from Gaziantep cuisine, in one of the busiest spots in the city. 

Besides presentation, the center has also drawn attention for unique dinner sets depicting the promotional face of the city, thy Gypsy Girl. 

The center serves two different menus every week, including a seasonal dish, soup, main course and dessert. 

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/gaziantep-cuisine-sets-eye-on-food-oscar-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=113121&NewsCatID=377

Scientific board to examine 19th century Russian soldier found inside unearthed coffin in Turkey’s Ardahan

A scientific board has been established to examine the skeleton of a Russian military officer that was found inside an unearthed coffin in the eastern province of Ardahan last month, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on May 17.

The board including experts from Istanbul and the eastern province of Erzurum will study to protect and identify the skeleton of the officer who is believed to have been killed during the Ottoman-Russian War in 1877-1878, the general director of Kars Museum, Necmettin Alp, told the agency.

“The general directorate of cultural heritage and museum swiftly formed a team in Istanbul and Erzurum conservation directorates. This team will arrive at the museum next week and they will begin disinfection and repair works of the skeleton and the coffin,” Alp said, adding that a report will ultimately be prepared to identify the soldier and determine the cause of his death.

The coffin, initially believed to have belonged to the Russian general, was unearthed during foundation excavations for a construction project in Ardahan on April 26.

It had later been put under protection at the Kars Museum.

May/17/2017

Abandoned wolf pups found in forested area in Turkey’s Diyarbakır

A total of six wolf pups were found in a forested area in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on May 8, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported. 

Ergün Yücel Avcı, Forestry Ministry’s director of the Hazro district, and forest protection officers found the pups while on duty investigating afforestation works in the İslamköy neighborhood.  

Officers have been waiting for the infant wolves’ mother to come back.
 
However, they decided to deliver them to the regional directorate of national parks after waiting for a long time for the mother.  

The wolf pups will be released to their natural habitat after receiving medical treatment.

May/08/2017