Şanlıurfa

Submitted by michel gybels on Mon, 05/25/2020 - 18:17

Şanliurfa, ancient Urfa and ancient Edessa, is a large town in Eastern Turkey of mixed Arab, Kurdish and Turkish inhabitants and is attractive to travellers for three main reasons. Firstly the famous Unesco World Heritage site of Göbekli Tepe, the oldest known temple complex in the world and fast becoming one of the ‘must-sees’ of Eastern Turkey, situated about 20 km from Şanliurfa; secondly the exceptionally fine, recently discovered mosaics in the Villa of the Amazons, and finally the town’s architectural reminders of Syria’s Aleppo, notably its Ulu Cami (Great Mosque).

Text & photos: Michel GYBELS for Turkish Archaeological News

Gradual steps upon the Sacred Road at Didyma

Submitted by Iza on Sun, 05/24/2020 - 13:20

It was at this time last year that I had first heard, from a Turkish friend who works alongside the archaeologists, the whisper that the ‘small finds’ house, next to the Temple of Apollo precinct, was to have its contents moved to the Miletus Museum or the Excavation House in Didyma.

Upon inquiring as to why this should be necessary he told me that the house was to be opened to the public. Intriguing, but no great revelation therein. Though when he expanded his reasoning to reveal that this would be a prelude to the Sacred Road being reopened to the public my happiness reached euphoric levels.

Text by Glenn Maffia

The East turn of the road leading to the Temple of Apollo

Theodosius (Şerefiye) Cistern

Submitted by Iza on Mon, 05/18/2020 - 21:16

It might seem that everything erected in Constantinople in the 5th and the 6th centuries was of colossal proportions: mainly regarding its public buildings and fortifications, but also the water supply system. The city, founded in the prominent and admirable location and surrounded by water lacked one crucial resource - a local supply of fresh water. Wells and small water sources at first met this need, but soon they could not meet the growing needs of the city's population.

Bostancıbaşı Bridge

Submitted by Iza on Mon, 05/11/2020 - 19:03

It may seem that a city as rich in monuments as Istanbul stone bridges erected in Ottoman times should abound. Meanwhile, it turns out that it is very difficult to find examples of such Ottoman bridges near the historical centre of the city, as in fact, only one such structure has survived. This is the Bostancıbaşı Bridge, located in the Asian part of the city, in the Bostancı neighbourhood of the Kadıköy district.

Turkish Museums Videos - visiting archaeological sites from home

Submitted by Iza on Fri, 05/08/2020 - 13:52

In these times, difficult for many of us, every initiative that enables visiting or revisiting museums and archaeological sites is of great importance and should be promoted. In the previous post devoted to this subject, we have shown you the possibility of the Virtual Tours of the Turkish Museums. Today, we want to invite you to watch the series of documentaries prepared by the Turkish Museums Channel. The first series is Excavation Sites in 5 Questions. In these films, the most famous and important archaeological sites located in Turkey are presented by the scholars who are the heads of the excavations. The films are either in English or have English subtitles.