Konya home to Rumi events in 738th year

The 10-day events for the anniversary of Rumi reunion will draw visitors to Konya. Hürriyet photo

The 738th International Rumi reunion anniversary events will start on Dec. 7 in the Central Anatolian province of Konya.
Konya Gov. Aydın Nezih Doğan said at a press conference Nov. 29 that they expected a record number of visitors to come to the province this year for the festivities.
He said the number of speed trains between Ankara and Konya would be increased to 14 as of today and added that additional flights would also be organized for people who plan to attend Şeb-i Arus, or the reunion night ceremonies, which are organized between Dec. 10 and 17.
Tickets for the most important night, Dec. 17, are already sold out, Doğan said. Some 6,000 people applied to attend the night but the capacity of the hall is limited to 2,650, he said, adding that the ceremonies were one of the most important events in the province and were drawing more demand every year.
During the 10-day program, 144 events will be organized, he said. “People who come to Konya will be satisfied with culture and art. We will also show our hospitality in the best way to our guests.”
The events will start Dec. 7 with a “love and tolerance march.” This will be followed by a whirling dervish performance at the Mevlana Museum that is timed to coincide with exhibition openings.

November/30/2011

1,500-year-old mosaic tiles returned to Hagia Sophia after 55 years

30 November 2011, Wednesday / TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL

                                          Hagia Sophia

World’s oldest waterway featured in documentary

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

Turkish journalist and researcher Dursun Özden has made a documentary revealing the world’s oldest waterways and historical water structures in Anatolia during a six-month visit to 66 Turkish provinces. He found waterways dating back 13,000 years from the Sumerian period to the days of the Turkish Republic

The documentary titled ‘Anadolu Su Medeniyeti’ features the oldest waterways and water resources from different civilizations that have existed in the Anatolian region. AA Photo

The world’s oldest water structures in Anatolia are the subject of a new documentary series by Turkish journalist and writer Dursun Özden. The series titled “Anadolu Su Medeniyeti” (Anatolian Water Culture) consists of 13 episodes.
Özden said he had conducted research in 66 Turkish provinces over the course of six months. He said the documentary had been filmed under very harsh conditions and the documentary team’s goal was to present key information regarding these structures to the audience.
“Based on interviews we conducted with experts and scientists, we have documented some of the world’s oldest architectural wonders,” Özden said. “We revealed traces of the world’s oldest water channels, cisterns and waterways from 13,000 years ago.” He said they found waterways from the Sumerians, Hittites, Urartians, Eastern Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks, Ottomans and the Republic.
Özden said the purpose of the documentary was to draw the attention of Turkish officials to the historical structures in the Anatolian countryside to preserve and protect them. He also said he hoped to highlight the importance of water resources and waterways, the strategic importance of which is increasing in the world.

Özden said he also revealed the existence of an underground irrigation system in Anatolia. “Our ancestors brought water from very far places. They found rain and snow waters flowing from mountains underground. They found a way to carry this water to their living spaces and called their underground irrigation system ‘kariz.’”
He said he had worked in Turkey for three years to find and film the underground irrigation systems. “There are traces of this system in Uyghur 6,000 years ago, in Iran 2,500 years ago and in Azerbaijan 1,800 years ago.”
While discovering the underground waterways, Özder said they also documented some of the world’s longest waterways. “There is a 246 km waterway between Istranca Forest and Istanbul and a 115 km underground water resource in the southern city of Mersin’s Silifke district.”
He said that while the existence of those structures was known, their features remained unknown. To figure it out, Özder and his team worked with civil engineers, survey engineers and land surveyors to determine the waterways’ lengths and depths, he said.
On the importance of the use of water, Özden said decreases in usable water can be traced to climate change and an unconscious use of the resource.

November/30/2011

Note : Just AMAZING !

Laodicea becoming new Ephesus

DENİZLİ - Anatolia News Agency

Much of what has already been excavated has undergone restoration. Doors and tours from eastern Byzantium and fountains have been restored. A large house of 2,000 square meters and a street east of the dig has also been restored. AA photos

Archaeologists working at Laodicea, which is home to one of the world’s oldest churches, are hoping to convert the ancient city in the Aegean province of Denizli into an archaeological park by unearthing ruins similar to Ephesus.
“We hope to make the ancient city a center for tourists,” said Professor Celal Şimşek, who has headed the project since 2003. “Another aim that we need to consider is to create an archaeology park at Denizli.”
Laodicea is an important center for Christianity and it includes the seventh oldest church in the world, said Şimşek.
The team’s ultimate aim is to finish the all the excavation by 2015 and make the ancient city another Ephesus. “We believe it will attract 2 million visitors a year.”
The past nine years of the excavation have revealed 3,050 ancient artifacts in the city. Among the most important finds are the heads of sculptures of Augustus, Dionysus, and Aphrodite and a sculpture of Zeus. The ancient city also has a sculpture of Hera and emperors.
This year, the first phase of the excavation took four months followed by a second phase that took six months. “We will continue the excavations for 12 months. The restoration and excavation work are done together at Laodicea,” said Şimşek. “This system makes the excavation more active. There are exclusive restoration teams who take care of the remains that are unearthed. The excavation work helps us to discover ties between today and the ancient times.”
Şimşek said excavations revealed a rooster, the symbol of Denizli, and remnants of pomegranates and eggplants.
One of the top priorities of the excavation is to discover signs of textile workshops, dye workshops and pieces of fabrics, said Şimşek. “All of these remains also lead us to Denizli’s cultural heritage, which is still very present today. Denizli is the center of textile.”
Much of what has already been excavated has undergone restoration. Doors and tours from eastern Byzantium and fountains have been restored. A large house of 2,000 square meters and a street east of the dig has also been restored.
Excavations have also revealed temples, a Greek Agora, and pieces of an ancient bath have. The finds are in line for restoration as well, said Şimşek.

Ancient city plans
Şimşek said Laodicea’s city plan might have inspired today’s architects and city planners. “The architecture of social, religious and other buildings in the ancient city was all part of a specific system.”
Archaeologists have found that the main street of Laodicea includes shops, he said. Just outside the city, archaeologists have found large burial grounds with tombs spread throughout.
“All these finds show that the city was made with a great plan and its infrastructure was very good,” Şimşek said.
 Şimşek also said the excavation of the Laodicea could contribute to shedding more light on world heritage. “We aim to leave this place to the next generation.”

I visited Laodicea in October last year on the way back from Pamukale. It was the early evening and we were the only visators. I was very impressed and surprised that it hadn´t been given much publicity. Well worth a visit!