February 2020 was a slow month for the archaeologists working in the area of Turkey. Perhaps the most thrilling news was the discovery announced by the archaeologists from the Oriental Institute in Chicago. They have discovered a lost ancient kingdom dating to 1400 BCE to 600 BCE which may have defeated Phrygia, the kingdom ruled by King Midas, in battle. Other projects concerned the renovations and reconstructions, for instance within a project titled the Roman Theater and Archaeology Park in Ankara. According to a written statement made by the municipality, works have been initiated to unearth the Roman Theater, which is one of the historical heritages in the Turkish capital.
Turkish Archaeological News collects the most important, interesting and inspiring news from Turkish excavation sites. Here's the review for February 2020. Have we missed anything? Let us know by using Contact tab!
February 2, 2020
Tourists flock to ancient hot springs in northwest Turkey to heal ailments
A tourist surge is taking place at Yazlık Spa Thermal Facility, an ancient hot spring in northwestern Kocaeli province that dates back to the Roman period. The mayor of Gölcük announced last week that the city plans to promote the site and add a hotel. Source: Daily Sabah
February 3, 2020
Triumphal Arch in Anavarza restored
Restoration work has been completed in the gate of the ancient city of Anavarza, one of the most important settlements in Anatolia on the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List. The gate was built in memory of the victory of the Romans against the Persians in the 3rd century and is called the Triumphal Arch. With the recent restoration work, the arch has gained its former glory. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
February 4, 2020
Europe's oldest Ottoman letter of conveyance found in Berlin
The oldest Ottoman letter of conveyance in Europe, dating back to the reign of Ottoman Sultan Murad II, has been found in Berlin. The ancient document – the equivalent of a modern-day property deed – was discovered last summer in Berlin's State Library within a research program launched by Istanbul Medeniyet University. Source: Daily Sabah
February 6, 2020
2,500-year-old kurgan stela discovered in eastern Turkey's Erzurum
A stone stela estimated to date back 2,500 years has been discovered in the eastern Turkish province of Erzurum. The stone slab erected next to old graves found in the Ormanlı village of the Şenkaya district was found by Aytaç Alver, a local who was grazing his livestock in the area. Source: Daily Sabah
February 11, 2020
Tombstone of Ottoman scholar, 'Chinese master' found in Gebze
Recep Kankal, a Ph.D. student in the Department of History at Istanbul Medeniyet University, has found the tombstone of Mehmed Eşref Efendi, a late Ottoman scholar known as the "Chinese master" in the Gebze Central Cemetery in Kocaeli province, even though historical sources had said he was buried in his home district of Lüleburgaz in Kırklareli province. Source: Daily Sabah
Roman Theater and archaeology park project in Ankara
The Ankara Metropolitan Municipality is working on a project titled the Roman Theater and Archaeology Park. According to a written statement made by the municipality, works have been initiated to unearth the Roman Theater, which is one of the historical heritages in the Turkish capital. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
February 13, 2020
Patara, cradle of civilizations, is declared this year’s tourism site
Following the years of Troy and Göbeklitepe in 2018 and 2019, respectively, the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry declared 2020 as the Year of Patara, the ancient city where St. Nicholas was born. Now, the ministry will promote the ancient city in the southern province of Antalya’s Kaş District. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
February 15, 2020
Black Sea's Zeugma to be archeological site
The ancient city of Hadrianopolis, estimated to have been used as a settlement area in late Hellenistic, Rome and early Byzantine times, will become an archeological site. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
February 19, 2020
Tombs in tumulus in Turkey’s north to open to visitors
Ancient tombs unearthed in the Büyük Göztepe Tumulus in the northern province of Karabük’s Safranbolu district, famous for its historical houses, on the UNESCO World Heritage List, will contribute to tourism. Twenty tombs dating back to ancient times were unearthed in the excavations that have been carried out in Safranbolu in intervals since 2011 and the findings of the people lying in these tombs will be exhibited. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
February 21, 2020
Business center built on historical bath in Istanbul suburb
A business center built three decades ago atop the historical Yusufpaşa Bath in Istanbul’s Büyükçekmece district is a peculiar structure, which could soon house a café. But the hamam, owned privately, is also under the auspices of the Council of Monuments, which has presented obstacles for the entrepreneurs wanting to open a café in the building. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
February 22, 2020
Archaeologists discover lost city that may have conquered the kingdom of Midas
Archaeologists from the Oriental Institute have discovered a lost ancient kingdom dating to 1400 B.C. to 600 B.C., which may have defeated Phrygia, the kingdom ruled by King Midas, in battle. University of Chicago scholars and students were surveying a site with Turkish and British colleagues last summer in southern Turkey called Türkmen-Karahöyük, when a local farmer told them he'd seen a big stone with strange inscriptions while dredging a nearby irrigation canal the previous winter. Source: Phys.org
February 24, 2020
Kızlar Monastery to serve as museum, enliven cultural life
The restoration and relief work on the Panagia Theoskepastos Monastery, also known as the Kızlar Monastery, located in the Ortahisar district of Turkey's Black Sea province of Trabzon, has been completed. The restoration will enhance the already flourishing cultural and artistic life in the city with its living museums, performance events and art galleries. Source: Daily Sabah
February 25, 2020
Missing pieces of ancient game set found
Within the scope of Ilısu Dam rescue excavations, the missing pieces of a historical play set, which was found in 2012 in the southeastern province of Siirt’s Başur Mound, have been unearthed. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Ancient Patara Lighthouse to shine on Antalya shores centuries later
The ancient Patara Lighthouse, constructed on the order of one of the most famed emperors in Roman history, Nero, in 64 A.D., is set to be restored and once again shine on the shores of Kaş, in southern Antalya, centuries after it went dark. Professor Havva İşkan Işık from the Department of Archaeology at Akdeniz University said the lighthouse will be reconstructed with its original stones. Source: Daily Sabah
February 26, 2020
Japanese armor presented to Sultan Abdülhamid II at Palace Collections Museum
A suit of exquisite Japanese body armor and a number of other items, that are said to have been presented to Sultan Abdülhamid II by Japanese Emperor Meiji, are on display for the very first time at the Palace Collections Museum, in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district. Source: Daily Sabah
