Next month's !f İstanbul International Independent Film Festival will reach out to cineastes in 29 cities across Turkey and in an additional six locations abroad -- including the Armenian and Israeli capitals -- with special screenings, the organizers of the event announced Wednesday. Link

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova handed over the certificate documenting the entry of Bursa’s Cumalıkızık and İzmir’s Bergama, also known as Pergamon, to Çelik at a ceremony at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara on Jan. 6. Link

The ancient city of Ephesus in western Turkey is expected to enter the UNESCO World Heritage List this year, after 22 years of efforts. Dating back to the 6th century B.C., Ephesus hosts around 2 million local and international tourists every year. Although it has been added to the UNESCO tentative list, along with 37 other sites in Turkey, it has failed to be included in the main list so far. Link

Heritage 2015 “Restoration, Archeology and Museum Technologies” fair and conferences will be held between Feb. 5 and 7 in Turkey. The events will be held at the Istanbul Lutfi Kirdar Convention & Exhibition Center, aiming to bring together institutions, universities, governmental bodies, associations with the companies and suppliers from the sector that are working to conserve, preserve and transfer the historic and artistic assets of Turkey to the future. Link

The latest excavation season has ended in the ancient city of Stratonikeia in the western province of Muğla’s Yatağan district. Professor Bilal Söğüt, head of the excavations, said they had worked for some six months in 2014 with 50 academics and workers. Link

Established for the protection and international promotion of Turkey’s cultural and historical assets, ONE Association’s first target is to get the famous Göbeklitepe archeological site onto UNESCO’s world heritage list. Link