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

Ancient city of Jethro waits for visitors

The ancient city of Jethro in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa doesn’t get as much as attention as nearby Harran, but locals and visitors are hoping that will soon change.

“Şanlıurfa is known as the city of prophets; there is the trace of a prophet everywhere. People find peace here but is it really neglected. Officials should clean this place,” said a visitor to the town, Ali Kaya, adding that people from neighboring villages often drop by to visit.

Locals believe that the prophet Jethro, known as Shoaib in the Qur’an, lived and met the prophet Moses in the ancient city.

Traces of the walls of the ancient city, where many rock tombs and stone structures draw attention, can still be seen in a large field as well as many other caves and tunnels. Later, a Roman city was also built on the site.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ancient-city-of-jethro-waits-for-visitors-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=113156&NewsCatID=375 

Legendary Ottoman architect’s Sinan’s historic Turkish bath put up for sale in Istanbul

A 16th century Turkish bath built by renowned Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan in Istanbul has been put up for sale with an asking price of 3 million euros, daily Birgün reported on May 9.

The bath in the historic Balat neighborhood, also known as “Ayakapı,” was commissioned by Sultan Nurbanu, the mother of Ottoman Sultan Murat III, in 1582. It was later renovated and bestowed with Jewish motifs, as Balat is a historic neighborhood for Jews living in Istanbul.

A lumberyard located next to the bath has also been put up for sale, with a “for sale” sign hung on the building’s exterior wall by the Ada Estate Agency. 

The lumberyard and the Turkish bath cover an area of 800 square-meters, according to the advert on the Ada Estate Agency’s website. 

The advert also warned buyers that any renovation work planned for the building needed permission from the state Council of Monuments.

Previously, the Ayakapı Turkish bath was put up for sale in both 2001 and 2012, but no buyer could be found due to “legal obligations” and the hefty price tag.    

“Ayakapı” means of “gate of the saint” in Turkish, and it is part of the district of Fatih, inside the walled city, on the shore of the Golden Horn. 

During the Byzantine era it was known as ta Dexiokratiana in Greek. It includes one of the most important surviving Byzantine buildings of the historical peninsula, now converted into a mosque, called the Gül Mosque.

May/09/2017

Horse struggles to live in Istanbul

A pack horse which was injured a few days ago in a traffic accident in Istanbul’s Ümraniye neighborhood is continuing its struggle to survive as it receives treatment at Istanbul University’s Veterinary Faculty.

After stealing materials from a construction site, four women attempted to escape from the police on a horse-drawn carriage, only to be struck by a minibus. The women were not injured in the accident but the horse suffered serious injuries. 

Police and people around quickly arrived to aid the horse, which was losing blood. 

A team at the veterinary faculty is currently taking care of the horse 24 hours a day. Volunteer students have assumed rotating two-hour shifts to meet the needs of the horse, which cannot stand up because of neurological injuries. 

Professor Dilek Olgun Erdikmen said the horse was taken to the faculty on May 13 suffering from serious blood loss. She said they found anemia in its blood but that it began recovering after 15 units of blood transfusion. 

The horse did not suffer any fractures in its legs or head, Erdikmen said. 

“Its problem is neurological. Fractures are bad for a horse, but neurological problems are worse. Since their body is big, their anatomy is not suitable to lie down for a long time. This animal has been lying since Saturday. We change its side every two hours. We support its circulation system using a chain hoist. Its reflexes are returning slowly. But time is working against the horse unless it stands up,” she said.

She said the post-treatment process would also be difficult. “We need this animal to be adopted. We are looking for a volunteer for it. This is really a big problem for us because it is expensive to take care of a horse or donkey. This is why they are generally adopted by people who have a horse farm.”

May/17/2017

550-year-old shrine moved before being inundated in Turkey’s Hasankeyf

A 550-year-old historic shrine in Hasankeyf has been moved before the area is flooded by the Ilısu Dam in the southeastern province of Batman, Doğan News Agency has reported.

The Zeynel Bey Shrine was moved from its original location to the Hasankeyf New Cultural Park Area. 

The massive shrine, which is a symbol of Batman’s Hasankeyf district, was moved in a single piece thanks to a newly produced rail system and the laying down of a special asphalt. At least 50 people, including engineers, were on duty to aid in the moving process. 

The moving process started at 7:45 a.m. and ended at 11:35 a.m. on May 12 when the shrine was installed in its new location two kilometers away.

All the procedures for the shrine are expected to take a total of three days.

Police and gendarmerie forces took security measures during the moving process, flying drones in the area.
 The gendarmerie also used detectors and specially trained dogs to search for any possible bombs.  

The preparations for the moving of the historical shrine took two years and necessitated the creation of a special platform with at least 150 wheels. Concrete measuring a depth of one meter was poured below the shrine before it was transferred to a platform with its concrete base by hydraulic cranes.   

Speaking during the process of moving the historic shrine, Turkish Forestry and Water Affairs Minister Veysel Eroğlu said they would move eight other artifacts.

“The shrine will be located before Friday prayers. On Monday, the final touches will be made. Europe was against this dam. But we will move eight other artifacts. This will set a model for the world,” he said.  

The dam project is controversial because it will inundate areas of southeastern Turkey, destroying priceless archaeological heritage.

Meanwhile, Vahap Kusen, the mayor of Hasankeyf, said he was experiencing joy and sadness at the same time. 

“The moving of this historic shrine which will be submerged makes us happy. But we see it as a flower that was broken off from its twig because other artifacts will be submerged by dam water. I wish all artifacts could be moved. On the other hand, we get a chance to show off an artifact which remains from our ancestors to the next generations,” he said.

The Zeynel Bey Shrine is the only work left by the Aq Qoyunlu tribal federation left in Hasankeyf. It is believed that Zeynel Bey was the son of Uzun Hasan, the ruler of the Aq Qoyunlu, but that he lost his life in the Battle of Otlukbaşı (1473), which took place between the Aq Qoyunlu and the Ottomans.

To look at the video: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/550-year-old-shrine-moved-before-being-inundated-in-turkeys-hasankeyf.aspx?pageID=238&nID=113024&NewsCatID=375