Millet Manuscript Library in Istanbul

Submitted by Iza on Sat, 09/12/2026 - 12:55

On a busy street in Istanbul's historic Fatih district stands a building that many pass without realizing they are walking beside one of Türkiye's great treasure houses of knowledge. The Millet Yazma Eser Kütüphanesi (Millet Manuscript Library) occupies a former Ottoman madrasa whose walls of alternating stone and brick still display the elegant geometry of classical Ottoman architecture. The information panel visible outside the library tells a remarkable story: this was originally built in 1700-1701 by the Ottoman Shaykh al-Islam Seyyid Feyzullah Efendi as a Darülhadis, a school dedicated to the study of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.

August 2026 in Turkish archaeology

Submitted by Iza on Tue, 09/01/2026 - 11:30

August 2026 brought a remarkable range of archaeological discoveries and announcements from across Türkiye. Among the highlights were an approximately 11,000-year-old human-and-leopard sculpture from Karahantepe, Epipalaeolithic turtle figurines from Gedikkaya Hill and In Cave, a monumental marble statue from Sardis, new Roman-period discoveries at Aspendos, including a necropolis and a statue of Asklepios, and a large early 5th-century church with mosaics and frescoes at Antandros. Excavations also revealed a monumental Hittite structure at Sapinuwa, a Roman and Early Byzantine settlement at Salkaya, and evidence interpreted as the earliest known plague in Anatolia at İznik. Particularly noteworthy was a discovery in ancient Smyrna (modern İzmir), where excavations uncovered three Late Antique rooms with previously undocumented wall paintings, adding new evidence for the city's later Roman and early Byzantine history. Together, these discoveries illustrate the extraordinary chronological and cultural diversity of Türkiye's archaeological heritage, spanning more than 10,000 years from the Epipalaeolithic to the Byzantine period.

Amos

Submitted by Iza on Tue, 08/25/2026 - 14:13

Perched on a steep, rocky hill above the cerulean waters of the Mediterranean, the ruins of ancient Amos command a spectacular stretch of the Carian coast. The settlement occupies the elongated Asarcık promontory, rising between two sheltered bays and offering wide views across the surrounding sea and hills. Its surviving walls, theatre, sanctuaries, and recently excavated domestic buildings reveal the remains of a small but remarkably well-organised ancient community, once connected with the powerful Rhodian world across the water.

For centuries, however, Amos remained little more than a name and a scattering of ruins on a wooded hillside. Today, a new generation of archaeological excavations is gradually changing that picture, revealing unexpected evidence for the settlement's much earlier origins and providing fresh insights into the lives, beliefs, and daily activities of its inhabitants. Easily reached from the nearby resort of Turunç, Amos offers something increasingly rare: the opportunity to explore an ancient city while its history is still being uncovered.

Amos ruins and the view towards the north

Lyrboton Kome

Submitted by Iza on Wed, 08/19/2026 - 15:22

Just 12 kilometres south of the Mediterranean coast, on a hill overlooking the provincial capital of Antalya, stand the extensive ruins of an ancient settlement virtually unknown to most travellers and tourists. These ruins are known as Lyrboton Kome and come as a surprise because of their picturesque setting above the metropolis, within a pleasantly forested area. Sadly, as of 2026, they seem largely abandoned by researchers and visitors alike. So, what is the history of the Lyrboton Kome settlement? Let us try to find out as much as possible.

Galata Tower in Istanbul

Submitted by Iza on Tue, 08/11/2026 - 09:48

Rising above the winding streets of Galata, the Galata Tower is one of Istanbul's most recognizable landmarks and a monument that embodies the city's extraordinary layers of history. Standing on a ridge overlooking the Golden Horn, the tower has dominated the skyline for centuries, serving at different times as a defensive structure, observation point, fire-watch station, and symbol of the city itself. Today it remains one of the most visited monuments in Istanbul, offering spectacular views across Europe and Asia.