A tender will be initiated tomorrow for the restoration of St. John’s Church, which is popular among tourists in the Şirince neighborhood of Selçuk in İzmir. Link

Scuba divers have discovered the largest trove of gold coins ever found off Israel’s Mediterranean coast, about 2,000 pieces dating back more than 1,000 years, the country’s antiquities authority said on Feb. 17.  was by pure chance that members of a diving club in the Roman-era port had come across the coins, which the authority said weighed nine kilograms but described as “priceless.” Link

Among thousands of artworks in the Turkish Calligraphy Arts Museum, affiliated with the General Directorate of Foundations, 563 are being restored by a team of 20 experts. Foundations General Director Adnan Ertem said the museum, located in the Beyazıt Madrasah of the Bayezid II Mosque, is undergoing a restoration process. Link1 Link2

The conservation process of 37 sunken ships discovered during the Istanbul Marmaray excavations and removed from the area over eight years is nearing completion. The unearthed ships are set to be displayed when the works are completed by the end of this year. Link

A middle-man in Turkey’s southeast has related the journey of antiquities from Syria that are smuggled through Turkey and constitute an important source of income for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), according to a BBC news report. U.N. Security Council last week banned all trade in artifacts from Syria, accusing jihadist militants of looting cultural heritage to strengthen its ability to organize and carry out terrorist attacks. Link

In a flea market in Germany, footage has been found of the excavations on Mount Nemrut from 1965, as well as the life of locals in the region. Researcher Şenol Şahin Çörekçi, who lives in Germany, said the footage of the Nemrut excavations, which had been found coincidentally by a Turkish collector, was transferred to the digital environment and brought to Turkey. Link1 Link2

During its first meeting of the year, Culture and Tourism Ministry’s General Directorate of Cinema has decided to give 22.2 million Turkish Liras in financial support to 49 local feature film projects in 2015. In the category for the first feature film of a director, 14 projects will be given 4.1 million liras, with 35 other films will be given the remaining 18.1 million liras. Link1 Link2 Link3

Divers working to salvage artifacts from the wreck of the Ottoman frigate Ertuğrul in the Pacific Ocean have discovered coins from the boat’s safe on the bottom of the ocean, but worries remain that more effects from the ship will be destroyed with the passage of time. Link

An academic center for the restoration and protection of cultural items has been established by Dicle University in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır. The purpose of the center is to give academic and scientific support to cultural structures, especially in Diyarbakır and the surrounding region. Link

The restoration of the Trabzon’s famous Kızlar Monastery, one of the most important tourist spots in the Eastern Black Sea region, will soon come to an end and local officials are confident the site will boost local tourism. Link