Uzuncaburç: A visual feast in winter

The ancient city of Uzuncaburç (Olba), one of the most notable tourism attractions in the southern province of Mersin, is a draw for visitors even in the winter months when it acquires an extra beauty under a blanket of snow.

Located 30 kilometers from the center of the Silifke, Uzuncaburç is home to columns, temples, churches and monumental tombs that are thousands of year old. The city is also known for its resemblance to the ancient city of Ephesus in İzmir, earning it the moniker of the “Mediterranean Ephesus.”

Silifke Tourism Association Chairman Ali Küçük said the ancient city hosted thousands of local and foreign guests every year. 

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/uzuncaburc-a-visual-feast-in-winter-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=109093&NewsCatID=375

Stolen artifacts from Turkey found in Germany

One of the artifacts stolen from the Kocaeli Archaeology Museum in 2009 has been found at an auction in Germany. 

The Culture and Tourism Ministry reported theft of the Roman-era color marble relief, which is valued at around 32,000 euros in the auction, to Interpol.

Following the illegal excavations there, the Kocaeli Archaeology Museum initiated excavations in İzmit’s Çukurbağ neighborhood, estimated to be the center of the ancient city of Nicomedia. 

Excavations in the field unearthed a number of Roman-era sculptures and reliefs, which were then included in the museum collection and kept in storage. But the inventory taken after two years revealed that one Roman-era bust and one color relief panel were not in the museum storage. 

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/stolen-artifacts-from-turkey-found-in-germany-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=109737&NewsCatID=375 

New Nuri Bilge Ceylan film receives biggest grant from directorate

The General Directorate of Cinema has announced that it will give a total of 25.6 million Turkish Liras in financial support to 30 projects this year, with the biggest share being granted to the latest film by internationally recognized director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “Ahlat Ağacı” (The Wild Pear). 

Ceylan’s latest film “Ahlat Ağacı,” is a Turkey-France joint production and will be granted 2 million liras. 

Starring Hazar Ergüçlü, the film tells the story of a young girl who returns to her hometown to collect money for the printing of her book but is faced with the debts left by her late father. The film also received support from the Arte France Cinema. 

Another project that will receive support from the ministry is director Derviş Zaim’s “Flaş Bellek” (Flash Memory), which will be granted 1.5 million liras. The same budget will also be granted to Can Ulkay’s “Ayla.” 
The ministry will also grant a total of 6.2 million liras for a variety of directors’ first feature films, taken from the 25.6 million total.

At a meeting due to be held between March 8 and 10, the ministry will evaluate other projects including those related to documentaries, short films, research and development, scenarios and dialogues.

February/02/2017

book: ‘The Return’ by Hisham Matar

‘The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between’ by Hisham Matar (Penguin Random House, 280 pages, $26)In the 1949 film adaptation of Graham Greene’s “The Third Man,” Orson Welles’ character delivers a famous monologue on complacency and art: “Italy, for 30 years under the Borgias, had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed. But they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, 500 years of democracy and peace. And what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/the-return-by-hisham-matar.aspx?pageID=238&nID=109791&NewsCatID=474

Graves of Mardin’s ancient city to open visitors

A gallery grave, unearthed during archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Dara in the southeastern Turkish province of Mardin eight years ago, will be opened to visitors. 

The gallery grave (a form of megalithic tomb), where hundreds of people were buried together, and where reinvigoration ceremonies took place in the Roman era, was unearthed in the 2009-2010 excavation season in the central Artuklu district.

The “Dara Gallery Cemetery Relief, Restitution and Restoration Project” was then approved by the Diyarbakır Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Board, and since then works have been carried out by the Mardin Museum Directorate. 

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/graves-of-mardins-ancient-city-to-open-visitors.aspx?pageID=238&nID=108952&NewsCatID=375

Woman takes pineapple for walk on Ankara’s metro

Photographs and video of a woman who took a pineapple for a walk on Ankara’s metro on Jan. 30 have gone viral on social media.  

The photos and video showed the woman placing a chain collar on the pineapple as if it were a pet.

As news of the stunt spread on social media, the woman in question, Elif Usta, made a statement via her Instagram account, stating that the incident was a performance show.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/woman-takes-pineapple-for-walk-on-ankaras-metro.aspx?PageID=238&NID=109133&NewsCatID=341 

Inns, mosaics found in Şanlıurfa

ŞANLIURFA – Doğan News Agency

Archaeological surface survey and cleaning works in the ancient site of Kızılkoyun and the outskirts of a historic castle in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa’s Haleplibahçe district have unearthed 133 inns and five mosaics. 

Rock tombs from the Roman and Edessa (Osrhoene) kingdoms have also been unearthed in the inns. 

Works that started in the region last year around Balıklıgöl, the historic castle and the Archaeology and Mosaic Museum, have been carried out by archaeologists and specialists. 

Some 61 inns have been found in Kızılkoyun, while 72 more have been found near the castle. The rock tombs in the inns, which depict various motifs and figures, have now been taken under protection. Among the motifs on the site are tombs featuring humans, flowers and snakes. 

Officials reported that the inns and mosaics would be cleaned and opened to tourism. 

Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Mayor Nihat Çiftçi, who visited the area, said the artifacts would be protected in their original places.