In one of the largest ancient cities in the western province of Denizli, Laodicea, the columns of a portico structure, which collapsed during an earthquake in 494, have been unearthed after more than 15 centuries. Link

Turkish citizens spent around 80 million nights on vacation in the second quarter of the year, down from 87 million in the same period a year earlier, according to the Turkish Statistics Institute (TÜİK), which revealed Nov. 5 domestic travelers mostly chose to stay with friends or relatives rather than hotels. Link1 Link2

Taking a pioneering step for both Turkey and the European continent, cultural and trade officials in the southern district of Side have cut the ribbon on a new underwater museum on the Mediterranean. The museum displays 110 sculptures in five different themes. Link

Turkey gained new opera houses -- or at least theaters that can accommodate an opera or ballet production -- in the 2013-14 season, but the number ofperformances put on these stages has dropped dramatically, according to recent data from the Turkish statistics Institute (TurkStat). Link

The British Museum is to set up a training scheme for Iraqi archaeologists to tackle the aftermath of destruction wrought by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Art Newspaper has reported. A museum spokeswoman said the program, which has been awarded a 3 million-pound grant from the U.K. government, would help Iraq to document the damage and start the process of reconstruction and preservation. Link

The annual presidential culture awards, announced on Thursday evening, were awarded to artists who are known for their pro-Justice and Development Party (AK Party) alignment, thereby illustrating the diminishment of the legitimacy of awards that are to be based on talent and contribution to the arts, according to critics. Link

ENCATC, the European network on cultural policy and management, unveils today the results of its 2015 board elections held on 23 October 2015 in Lecce, Italy.

The historical Troy National Park in the northwestern province of Çanakkale will be renewed within a recently approved development revision plan. The site was declared a national park in 1996 and has been one of the nine UNESCO world heritage sites in Turkey since 1998. Link

A historical Turkish bath, which was functional for more than three centuries in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa, is now serving modern-day tourists. Following restoration work, the Vezir Bath has been decorated with oriental furniture and now hosts traditional events. Link

Archaeologists have expressed excitement about the discovery about a site on the ancient Mount Latmos (Beşparmak) in the southwestern province of Muğla that is believed to have been used for religious purposes. Link