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Image of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, representation of how it would have appeared. Source: Civilization. Wiki /CC BY-SA )

The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus: What Made the First Mausoleum a Wonder?

The word mausoleum is nowadays defined as “a special building made to hold the dead body of an important person or the deceased bodies of a family”. This word is derived from the name Mausolus, for...
Turkish meerschaum pipe. Source: l_cigarrito / Adobe Stock.

Why Turkish Meerschaum Pipes Cost a Fortune (Video)

Meerschaum smoking pipes have been highly valued by collectors and smokers for centuries, but have you ever wondered why Turkish Meerschaum pipes are so expensive? These pipes are made of meerschaum...
The saber found in the monastery of Agios Nikolas may have belonged to Turkish pirates. Credit: E. Maniotis & T. Dogas

Saber Sword Found in Greek Monastery May Have Belonged to Turkish Pirates

The origins of a rare sword discovered in a Greek monastery has baffled Greek archaeologists. However, it’s thought that the weapon might have belonged to Mediaeval Turkish pirates raiding the Greek...
Sign Language Only in the Topkapi Palace of Suleiman!

Sign Language Only in the Topkapi Palace of Suleiman!

Almost everyone at the Istanbul Topkapi Palace was a slave, but this is not the only curious attribute the palace had when ruled by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Everyone was forced to learn and...
More than 650 priceless ancient Roman coins have been unearthed at the Aizanoi archaeological site in Turkey. Source: Andalou Agency

Jug of Priceless Ancient Roman Coins Discovered in Special Turkish City

A “very special and unique collection” of ancient Roman coins have been unearthed at an equally special 5,000-year-old archaeological site in Turkey. More than 650 priceless coins were found at...
The Holy Saviour Church in Chora. Credit: Yordan Rusev / Adobe Stock

Turkey Converts ANOTHER Former Byzantine Church into a Mosque

Just one month after announcing that the world-famous Hagia Sophia, originally a Byzantine cathedral, would be converted back into a mosque , Turkish President Erdogan has inflamed tensions yet again...
Close-up of the Göbekli Tepe site in central Turkey.    Source: Brian Weed / Adobe stock

Hidden Geometric Pattern Reveals Deeper Complexity of Göbekli Tepe

Does a “hidden-pattern” at Göbekli Tepe in central Turkey suggest 12,000-year-old hunter-gatherers knew rudimentary geometric principals, indicating a more complex society than previously assumed by...
Main: Çatalhöyük after the first excavations by James Mellaart. Inset: Dr. Harabasz excavating some of bones.           Source: Omar Hoftun / CC BY-SA 3.0 &  Çatalhöyük Research Project / Jason Quinlan

Ancient Dead Buried In Their Homes In Çatalhöyük

In 2020, archaeologists researching in Turkey discovered ancient homes containing their owners’ bones. Inhabited between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, Çatalhöyük was an important Neolithic and Chalcolithic...
Ottoman Warrior. Credit: ahmetnkececi / Adobe Stock

The Ottoman Empire: 600 Years of Domination

The Ottoman Empire was one of history’s largest and longest-lasting empires. It was founded around the end of the 13th / beginning of the 14th century and lasted for about six centuries. The empire...
A view of Koshoy Korgon from the inner northern corner, looking south-east. The on-site museum is visible in the background. Source: Firespeaker / CC BY-SA 3.0

Koshoy Korgon: The Alluring Silk Road Fortress

The nation of Kyrgyzstan is little known outside Central Asia. However, this former Soviet republic has many historic remains, because it was located on the Silk Road . This was the trade route that...
Mehmed Pasa Sokolovic Bridge in Visegrad               Source: Željko Radojko/Adobe Stock

Depth and Beauty: Grand Vizier’s Mehmed Pasa Sokolovic’s Bridge

The Mehmed Pasa Sokolovic Bridge in Visegrad, Bosnia and Herzegovina, is considered to be one of the most remarkable in the world. It is one of the most important heritage sites in Bosnia and a...
Two pages from the Voynich Manuscript. Has the Voynich Manuscript code finally been cracked?

Has the Enigmatic Voynich Manuscript Code Finally Been Cracked?

The Voynich Manuscript is a mysterious illustrated hand-written vellum codex in a currently unidentified written and visual code. However, according to a non-peer reviewed paper published in John's...
Some of the artifacts recovered from smugglers in Turkey.

Operation Zeus Stops Smuggling Ring from Stealing Over 26,000 Artifacts from Turkey

With over 26,000 relics seized from smugglers, Turkish authorities have made he largest haul of recovered artifacts in the country’s history. The precious pieces were created by the Anatolian, Greek...
Quarrying and Blasting May Destroy 2100-Year-Old Castle Site and Statue of Mother Goddess in Turkey

Quarrying and Blasting May Destroy 2100-Year-Old Castle Site and Statue of Mother Goddess in Turkey

Blasting and quarrying of rock at a site near the ancient Kurul Castle in Turkey have endangered the structure and a precious statue of the ancient goddess Cybele. The castle, which dates back about...
Underwater archaeologists examine objects found around the wreck.

4,000-year-old Minoan shipwreck discovered in Turkish waters

Turkish researchers from the Marine Science and Technology Institute of Dokuz Eylul University have discovered a 4,000-year-old shipwreck in the Marmaris Hisarönü Gulf, which is believed to be a...