April 2024 saw the works nearing completion at ancient lighthouse of Patara, once the capital of the Lycian League. Meanwhile, during the archaeological excavations in Hıdırlık Tower, one of the historical symbols of Antalya, the famous holiday resort in the south of Turkey, an 800-metre-long colonnaded street of the Roman period was discovered. Finally, a new chapter in the Hittite world was revealed by painted hieroglyphs discovered in the Hattusa Yerkapı tunnel.
Turkish Archaeological News collects the most important, interesting and inspiring news from Turkish excavation sites. Here's the review for April 2024. Have we missed anything? Let us know by using Contact tab!
April 4, 2024
Ottoman bath revived after years of restoration
Zeyrek Çinili Hammam, one of the masterpieces of Mimar Sinan in Istanbul’s Fatih neighborhood, is returning to its original function after a comprehensive 13-year restoration process. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
April 5, 2024
First Roman-era sarcophagus found in Diyarbakır
For the first time in its 12,000-year history, Diyarbakır, a city in southeastern Türkiye known for its UNESCO-listed ancient walls, has revealed a Roman-era sarcophagus during excavation works. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
April 8, 2024
Works near completion at ancient lighthouse
Excavation and restoration work continues in the ancient city of Patara, once the capital of the Lycian Union, which consisted of 23 cities in the mid-1st century B.C. in the Kaş district of the southern province of Antalya. Restoration of the 2,000-year-old lighthouse in the ancient city is almost finished. The historical structure, which was destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt with nearly 2,000 stones, is intended to guide sailors. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
April 9, 2024
Türkiye to reclaim over 8,600 smuggled artifacts
Turkish authorities have orchestrated the return of 12,135 smuggled historical artifacts over the past 22 years, with the country gearing up to welcome back more than 8,600 cultural treasures in the upcoming period. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
April 15, 2024
Zeugma Mosaic Museum breaks visitor record
Zeugma Mosaic Museum in the southeastern province of Gaziantep, one of the largest mosaic museums in the world, broke its daily visitor record during the Eid holiday. Gaziantep Museum Director Özgür Çomak stated that the all-time visitor record across Türkiye was broken on the second day of Eid al-Fitr and said, "We reached a record number with 5,660 people on the second day alone." Source: Hürriyet Daily News
April 19, 2024
During the archaeological excavations in Hıdırlık Tower, one of the historical symbols of Antalya, the famous holiday resort in the south of Turkey, an 800-metre-long colonnaded street of the Roman period was discovered. Source: Arkeonews
Medusa mosaic reopens to visitors
The Medusa mosaic and the Odeon stoa floor mosaic in the ancient city of Kibyra in the southern province of Burdur are now open to visitors again. The artifacts, which remain closed during the winter months for protection against climatic conditions, will be open to visitors until the end of November. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
April 24, 2024
Getty Museum Agrees to Return Ancient Bronze Head to Turkey
The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles on Wednesday said it was returning an ancient bronze head to Turkey that it had purchased in 1971 from an antiquities dealer who sold other items to museums that were later found to have been looted. Source: The New York Times
April 30, 2024
Turkish historian calls for preservation of Edirne's 19th-century Catholic cemetery
Known as the 'Italian Cemetery,' a historic resting place in Türkiye's Edirne for Catholic railway contributors in the Ottoman Empire, faces extinction as neglect leaves it unrecognizable and its catacombs plundered, prompting urgent calls for preservation from a local historian. Source: Daily Sabah
April 30, 2024
The painted hieroglyphs discovered in 2022 in the Yerkapı Tunnel in Hattusa, the capital of the Hittites, one of the first civilizations of Anatolia, were introduced at a conference held at the Culture and Promotion Consultancy of Turkey’s Embassy in Rome. Source: Arkeonews
