Byzantine-era mosaics unearthed in the city of Stratonikeia, one of the largest marble cities in antiquity, will be open to visitors after the completion of restoration work, according to scholars in southwestern Turkey. A city in the ancient Karia region in the southwestern province of Muğla, Stratonikeia retained its significance during the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Anatolian beylik, Ottoman and Republican eras. Link

The right arm of a Heracles relief in an ancient quarry in the northwestern province of Bursa’s İznik district has suffered damage due to the agricultural industry in the area, according to cultural specialists.  Salty and chemical waste from olive processing in the area are also damaging the relief. Link 

C-News  
Culturelink Newsletter No. 102/November-December 2015
 
From the Focal Point

Need for a Global Response to Violence and Hate

Europa Nostra, the leading European heritage organization, and the European Investment Bank Institute announced on Dec 10 the 14 monuments and sites shortlisted for “The Seven Most Endangered” program 2016 by an international panel of experts in various fields. The ancient city of Hasankeyf from Turkey and its surroundings was among those heritage sites Link1 Link2

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The head of the Culture and Arts Association in the eastern province of Kars, Vedat Akçayöz, has said the registration of 15 rock paintings discovered around the Alem village, some 11 kilometers away from the ancient city of Ani on the Turkish-Armenian border, has been sent to the Museum Directorate, adding the hope was to have the entire area added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Link1 Link2

“Heritage Counts 2015” is produced by the Historic Environment Forum. The 2015 publication is the fourteenth annual audit of the historic environment in England. It reports on major developments and trends in the heritage sector. Each year Heritage Counts collects and presents indicators about the state of the historic environment.

This major new international report highlights opportunities and challenges for the future. 150 artists, business leaders, entrepreneurs and politicians and opinion formers were asked for their views on the challenges and opportunities facing their cities and how culture can address them. The report reveals that the cultural and creative sectors are increasingly recognised as critical to the success of leading cities around the world, with many contributors talking about the role that culture has in creating shared spaces and bringing people together.

Director Tolga Karaçelik’s “Sarmaşık” (Ivy) and Mustafa Kara’s “Kalandar Soğuğu” (Kalandar Cold) were the big winners of the 52nd Antalya Film Festival, picking up four awards for each.The soirée, however, was marked by censorship after pro-government broadcaster A Haber cut off a speech by Nadir Sarıbacak, who won the best actor award at the event for his role in “Ivy,” after he mentioned an alcoholic drink in calling for unity in Turkey. Link

Continuing excavations in an extinct volcano in the Central Anatolian province of Karaman have unearthed a unique pyramidal mausoleum and a temple. Karaman Museum Director Abdülbari Yıldız said excavation and cleaning works had been continuing at the Değle and Madenşehri villages in the skirts of Karadağ Mountain since 2014. Link