Şehzade Korkut Mosque in Antalya

Submitted by Iza on Tue, 11/10/2026 - 17:35

Until quite recently, the historic Kaleiçi quarter of Antalya contained the partially collapsed remains of an ancient building, dominated by the distinctive silhouette of the Broken Minaret (Kesik Minare). Today, the restored structure stands once again as Şehzade Korkut Mosque, open both to worshippers and visitors. Its long and eventful history offers a remarkable window onto Antalya's turbulent past. Few monuments illustrate so vividly the city's successive transformations, for this site has served as a place of religious worship, in different forms and under different traditions, from antiquity to the present day.

Please note that the photographs documenting the condition of the building before the restoration, together with a description of its pre-restoration state, have been published on the Turkish Archaeological News website as the text Broken Minaret in Antalya.

October 2026 in Turkish archaeology

Submitted by Iza on Sun, 11/01/2026 - 14:34

October 2026 brought a remarkable series of archaeological discoveries in Türkiye, spanning almost the entire history of human civilisation. Among the highlights were a 3,000-year-old Urartian fortress, a Hittite royal archive containing 184 tablets, and evidence of Early Bronze Age settlement layers beneath the Roman bath at Tyana. At Troy, archaeologists uncovered a 2,800-year-old bone flute and a 4,500-year-old human-shaped idol, while excavations at Smyrna revealed six architectural phases dating back approximately 5,000 years. Other fascinating finds included 11,000-year-old communal buildings at Gre Fılla, 4,000-year-old dog paw prints at Tavşanlı Höyük, a Roman oracle stone at Kibyra, and a previously unknown Bronze Age coastal settlement near Troy. Together, these discoveries offer new insights into Anatolia's rich cultural heritage, from prehistoric communities and Bronze Age kingdoms to the Greek and Roman worlds.

Column of Constantine in Istanbul

Submitted by Iza on Fri, 10/16/2026 - 09:30

Long before Istanbul became a city of minarets and ferries, Emperor Constantine the Great envisioned a new imperial capital rising on the shores of the Bosporus. At the very centre of that grand project stood the Column of Constantine, known today as Çemberlitaş Sütunu. Erected around 328 CE and formally associated with the dedication of Constantinople in 330, the monument was designed as a bold statement of imperial power, standing in the middle of the Forum of Constantine along the city's main ceremonial avenue. Nearly seventeen centuries later, it remains one of the oldest surviving monuments from Constantine's city.

Hagia Sophia Hurrem Sultan Bathhouse in Istanbul

Submitted by Iza on Mon, 10/05/2026 - 07:54

Standing between two of Istanbul's most celebrated monuments — Hagia Sophia and Sultan Ahmed Mosque — the Hagia Sophia Hurrem Sultan Bathhouse is one of the city's most elegant survivors from the golden age of the Ottoman Empire. Commissioned in 1556 by Hurrem Sultan (Roxelana), the influential wife of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, the bathhouse was designed by the legendary imperial architect Mimar Sinan. It rose on the site of the ancient Roman Baths of Zeuxippus, linking the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman histories of Istanbul in a single remarkable location.

Hagia Sophia Hurrem Sultan Bathhouse in Istanbul

September 2026 in Turkish archaeology

Submitted by Iza on Thu, 10/01/2026 - 09:39

The most important archaeological developments reported in Türkiye in September 2026 included several discoveries that significantly expanded knowledge of Anatolia's prehistoric and ancient past. At Çayönü Tepesi, archaeologists uncovered a roughly 9,000-year-old mining workshop with malachite, copper objects, and a stone-paved working area, offering rare evidence for the organization of early metal production. At Troy, excavations revealed a 2,800-year-old agora, while at Hattusa a newly identified cuneiform fragment was recognized as part of a surviving copy of the Kadesh Peace Treaty. At Aspendos, finds beneath Roman shops pushed the known settlement history of the site back to about 6,000 years ago, while excavations at Yassıtepe Höyük revealed further evidence for a fortified, planned settlement dating to roughly 5,000 years ago. Another major discovery came from a roughly 2,100-year-old shipwreck off Antalya, where thousands of ceramic vessels shed new light on ancient Mediterranean trade in tableware. Finally, research at Göbeklitepe produced evidence potentially relevant to the long-standing question of the site's human remains, while work at Liman Tepe and Maydos Kilisetepe added important evidence for sophisticated water management and defensive architecture in prehistoric western Anatolia.