Archaeologists working on one of Turkey’s few Black Sea islands, Giresun Island, have found evidence suggesting that religion was paramount on the piece of land, which lies 1.2 kilometers off the Turkish coast. Graves found during excavations on Giresun Island indicate that religious life was dominant on the island, which featured a complete monastery complex. Link

The historical Vordonisi Island, which is 700 meters away from the Maltepe shore and known as Istanbul’s lost island, has been brought to light with the support of the Maltepe Municipality. Remnants of the island have been recently photographed by an exploration team. Its purpose: to draw attention to the long-forgotten, sunken island. Link

New findings obtained at the Temple of Apollo, located in the village of Gülpınar in the northwestern province of Çanakkale’s Ayvacık district, have revealed a residence, revealing plans and gardens of various eras. The Temple of Apollo Smintheus, which became nonfunctional some 1,500 years ago, was used for different purposes in each era. Link

Numerous art institutions across Turkey, including the State Theater, have either postponed or canceled performances and openings over the weekend in the face of a deadly suicide blast on Saturday morning in Ankara that killed at least 95 people and injured hundreds of others. Link

Conflicts in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır’s central district of Sur have damaged ancient city walls, which were recently inducted onto UNESCO’s World Heritage List, as well as some other structures. Link

Bones unearthed during archaeological excavations at the ancient city of Ephesus in Turkey’s west have newly revealed that species such as leopard and rhino existed in the region. Animal bones unearthed are being examined at a newly-established lab, giving fresh clues about people’s positions in society in the ancient era. Link

Ongoing excavations in the 2,000-year-old ancient city of Anavarza, located in the southern province of Adana’s Dilekkaya village, have unearthed a battle field of gladiators for the first time. The excavations, which have a record budget of 1 million Turkish Liras, are headed by the Çukurova University Archaeology Department’s Fatih Gülşen. Link

Ancient tombs dating back to the 4th century B.C. have been cleaned by officials of the Fethiye Museum, after news emerged that they were being used as storage space by locals in the western province of Muğla’s Fethiye district. Link

The Urartian-era Çavuştepe Castle in the eastern province of Van’s Gürpınar district has had its worst year in terms of visitors compared to the last 53 years. The castle, which was visited by nearly 30,000 tourists annually until last year, only received 1,500 visitors this year. Link

The Association of Documentary Filmmakers in Turkey (BSB) has slammed the Antalya International Film Festival's decision to cancel the national documentary feature competition in this year's festival, accusing the event's organizers of blocking the public's access to the genre, Turkish news agencies reported Thursday. Link