Once a hub for pirate activity, the ancient city of Antiocheia Ad Cragnum in Antalya’s Gazipaşa district is now undergoing renewed excavations that is shedding new light on the history of the area. “In the excavations, we have uncovered a 600-meter-long mosaic, some remains of a bath and a parliament building so far,” said Dr. Birol Can the excavation crew coordinator for the site and a lecturer at Uşak University’s Science and Literature Department Archaeology Department. Link

Excavation work at Ovaören village in Central Anatolian Nevşehir province has brought to light a settlement in ancient Yassıhöyük dating back to 1,700 B.C.The ancient site could, however, even date back to 6,000 B.C., said the head of the excavation team and the director of the Gazi University Archaeology Department, Yücel Şenyurt. Link

A movie is due to be shot at Tokat Castle, Turkey’s second-largest castle in the northern province of Tokat, where it is claimed that Wallachian Prince Vlad III “The Impaler,” also known as Dracula, was held captive in one of the the castle’s dungeons in the early 15th century. Link

Turkey now has an Art Village. The newest project by Ali Nesin, the founder of the Nesin Mathematics Village in İzmir, Art Village quietly launched its inaugural program this summer in Şirince with a compact, two-week schedule that focused on both the theoretical and applied aspects of art. Link

Excavation works in the Temple of Apollo in the western province of Aydın’s Didim district have unearthed the foundations of a giant structure, thought to have connections with the temple. The works have been carried out by the German Halle Martin Luther University, the German Archaeology Institute and the Milet Museum Directorate. Link

Two statue heads buried 10 meters under the ground were brought to light in the ancient city of Laodicea, located in the western province of Denizli.The heads of Athena, goddess of reason, crafts, arts and literature, and Janus, god of beginnings and transitions, were unearthed on Stadium Street and held under protection. Link

The ruins of a Turkish bath, which was constructed in 1555 for Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, have been unearthed in the Sapanca district of western Sakarya province and taken under protection. The excavation works, when completed, will also give birth to a new historical social space in Sapanca. Link

This year’s excavations at the ancient Aslantepe site in the eastern province of Malatya have unearthed an adobe throne, estimated to date back to some 5,000 years ago. The finding is very important according to the head of the excavations, Italian Professor Marcella Frangipane. Link1 Link2

Turkish baths, one of the best known features of Gaziantep, and their culture will be featured in a new museum opening soon in the southeastern province. The Paşa Bath, which was built in 1557 by Lala Mustafa Paşa, is being converted into a museum to show the culture of Turkish baths to visitors. Link

Members of the excavation team working at the ruins of Antioch of Pisidia in the western province of Isparta have staged a sit in at the ancient site to protest the brutal execution of their colleague, Syrian archaeologist Khalid al-Assad, at the hands of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants. Link1 Link2