Turkey spent $223 million on artwork from abroad between 2011 and 2015, according to data provided by the Turkish Statistics Institute. England was the first country for art imports, followed by the US, France and Germany

The world’s tourism map is being redrawn at lightning speed as holidaymakers switch preferences prompted by terror attacks, epidemics and migrant crises. Jihadist attacks on tourists in Tunisia last year and the October 31 crash of a Russian plane which took off from its Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh have devastated the tourism sectors in both countries.

The only structure from the Byzantine era in Ankara, the Saint Clement Church, is about to disappear amid the city’s continuing urban sprawl. The structure, which is among office buildings in the Altındağ district, can be visited only with the permission of the owners of the offices and by walking down the fire escape stairs. 

A stone on the wall of a historical mosque in the eastern province of Bitlis has been removed and stolen by treasure hunters, one of whom has since been caught by police.The 500-year-old Tuğrul Bey Mosque, built by Zal Pasha as part of the Adilcevaz Castle in the 16th century, was targeted by treasure hunters, who thought there was gold in a marked a stone in the front façade of the mosque wall.

This new report from UNESCO and the consulting group EY (formerly Ernst & Young) identifies the extent and scope of the creative economy worldwide. The idea behind this report is that the economic weight of cultural and creative industries (CCI) in mature and emerging economies is partially described, misunderstood and undervalued. This study encompasses a wide range of creative activities combining the creation, production and distribution of cultural content. Unlike other studies, we have included all activities related to the performing arts (including dance, opera, ballet and live music) and visual arts (museums, visual arts creation, art market and design activities). In addition, EY’s study is the first to separately assess the economic value of each CCI individually, and at a global level.

Underwater excavations off the western province of Muğla’s Marmaris district have unearthed a shipwreck in the Hisarönü Gulf dating back up to 4,000 years, one of the oldest shipwrecks ever found in Turkish waters. The work is part of a project initiated in 2007 to reveal Turkey’s underwater heritage, supported by the Development Agency.
 

A number of architectural structures in the 3,000-year-old ancient site of Kayaköy in the western province of Muğla are being threatened by local flora, as trees and plant life have damaged the walls of the old buildings. Eight kilometers away from the province’s Fethiye district, Kayaköy, or Karmylassos as it was known in the ancient era, is home to a number of old structures.

A six-gate rock church that is home to wall paintings featuring Christian icons has been unearthed in the southern province of Burdur’s Bucak district. The rock church in the ancient city of Kremna was discovered by Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (MAKU) Archaeology Department academic Hüseyin Metin and his team during excavations conducted in a mountainous area in the Avdancık village in Bucak district. 

Zengibar Castle, located among the remains of ancient Isaura in the Central Anatolian province of Konya,which is considered the Ephesus of the region, will soon open to tourism. The ancient city of Isaura, estimated to have been built in the Byzantine era some 2,000 years ago, is located 16 kilometers away from the Konya city center on an 1860-meter-high hill.

Winter tourism needs to be diversified in Cappadocia, which is famous for fairy chimneys, rock-carved boutique hotels, underground cities and natural rock formations, according to local tourism representatives. “We are seeking new alternatives to draw more tourists in winter,” Göreme Tourism Development Cooperative Chairman Mustafa Durmaz said, adding that organizing tours to the Erciyes Ski center, which is close to Cappadocia in Kayseri, was among the alternatives.