The 2016 program of the underwater excavation of the Ertuğrul frigate, which sank near Japan’s city of Kushimoto and caused the death of 550 Turkish sailors, kicked off on Jan. 15 and will continue until Feb. 15.

During the restoration of the 800-year-old Alaaddin Mosque in the southern province of Antalya’s Korkuteli district, the structure’s crown gate, a rare example of stone masonry, has been broken into pieces. Newly appointed Antalya General Directorate of Cultural and Natural Heritage Prof. İbrahim Bakır said he would investigate the issue. Link

Museums and ancient sites in the western province of Muğla were visited by nearly 850,000 people last year, with the revenue from these visits topping 6 million Turkish Liras. Home to many ancient sites on UNESCO’s temporary list of world heritage sites, Muğla’s Sedir Island and Bodrum Underwater Archaeology Museum were the most popular places for tourists in 2015. Link

Turkish artist Mehmet Aksoy’s sculpture, which was removed on Jan. 7 from its spot for 12 years in Istanbul’s Ümraniye neighborhood after a court decision that the location belonged to the General Directorate of National Property, will be placed in the Avcılar neighborhood. Link

The Ottoman Optical Character Recognition (OCR) project, which enables rare Ottoman works to be transferred to the electronic world, has been launched by the Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA). IRCICA General Director Halit Eren,  said the IRCICA library at the historic Yıldız Palace was home to hundreds of thousands of documents, more than 70,000 photographs and more than 6,000 calligraphies. Link 

The Antalya Women’s Museum is set to become Turkey’s third women’s museum following ones in Istanbul and İzmir, having already launched a virtual museum online. The museum features the stories of women from all classes of society and hosts visual exhibitions, talks and shopping while also relating the beauty of the Yörük and Mediterranean cultures, according to Antalya Promotion Foundation Chairman Nizamettin Şen. Link

Marble urinals installed in the 505-year-old Çoban Mustafa Paşa Mosque in the northwestern province of Kocaeli’s Gebze district, which had caused a furor as they did not fit the “historical tissue” of the mosque complex, have subsequently been removed. Link1 Link2

Now in its new location, 40 percent of the Hatay Archaeology Museum is open to visitors, displaying thousands of artifacts dating back to the Stone Age. When the second stage is finished next year, it will have the largest mosaic display area. Link

Public museums are public property, but a massive increase in ticket prices by the private company that collects gate receipts has raised fears of a massive drop-off in the number of visitors while also raising questions about culture and the public good. The entrance to major museums and historical sites was privatized in 2010 and operational rights for ticket offices were given to TÜRSAB. Link1 Link2

Works at an archaeological site in the southern province of Mersin’s historical Tarsus district have unearthed an ancient road. In a written statement, Tarsus Museum Director Mehmet Çavuş said drainage work in the field had revealed an ancient road built using the polygonal technique. Link