Documentary depicts ancient Göbeklitepe as idol center

[Hindustani78]

Arabs Knew about Indians
Greeks Knew about Indians
Persians Knew about Indians
Egypt and Meso were trading with Indians

Despite all that none mentioned about the Aryans .
Persians is the only possibility of Being Aryans .

All these nations calls us INDI , people of Indus Valley Civilization. Even the Africans call us INDI.

Those who doesnt call us INDI , we will remember them nor we will forget them nor we will forgive them.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/roman-era-sports-facility-found-in-central-anatolia-120415

• October 06 2017 00:00:00

Roman-era sports facility found in central Anatolia
KONYA

Roman-era sports facility has been unearthed at a construction site in the Central Anatolian province of Konya’s Sarayönü district.

The finding emerged after a local in the district’s Ladik neighborhood, known as a Laodicea city and an important center of the Roman era, applied to the local museum directorate after wanting to build a house on the land where the facility was unearthed.

The museum directorate’s experts conducted drilling works in the construction site, located on a region listed as a third degree archaeological site, unearthing a mosaic with geometrical shapes from the Roman period.

Following 10 days of work, Konya Museums Directorate teams discovered a tomb with a mosaic, column and bases.

Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, Konya Museums Director Yusuf Benli said the neighborhood was the ancient city of Laodicea.

Stating that the region, which is home to many artifacts, was a third-degree archaeological site, Benli said, “Historical artifacts have been obtained during drilling works in the construction site. Excavations started with the permission of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums. We have been working here for 10 days and found a different structure. It is normal to find such a structure in an ancient city but geometric mosaic is rarely seen in Konya.

The first field we dug is 100 square meters. In the middle of this field is a medallion motif that reads ‘Constructed in the name of Ergenos, the son of Documanos.’ This place was a sports facility in the ancient city. We can tell this by looking at its column bases and column headings.”

Benli said a tomb was also discovered in the field. "The tomb was made with collected materials,” he said, adding that a second mosaic field was detected around the tomb.

"We have been working on this field for two days. Our purpose is to protect this area. Because mosaics are very delicate and can easily be destroyed. We will first take it under protection and then we can use it in our works. The region is a settlement. If we protect this place, we can revive Ladik again. We are working on a field of 373 square meters. Such a structure will give a different importance to Konya I believe,” he said.

The mayor of Sarayönü, Nafiz Solak, said he was very excited with this finding in their neighborhood, adding that remarkable artifacts had been found in the ancient city so far.

“A project is being designed. When the work is done, we plan to open the area to visitors. It is important that this place is next to the highway to Istanbul. We believe people will visit this place because it is attractive,” he added.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/geophysics-work-on-military-headquarter-of-roman-empire-120453

• October 06 2017 11:40:00

Geophysics work on military headquarter of Roman Empire
GÜMÜŞHANE

Prior to the archeological excavations planned to start next year in the ancient city of Satala located in the Black Sea province of Gümüşhane, geophysics work has been initiated in order to collect data on the site. Satala was built as a military headquarter during the Roman Empire.

The studies carried out by the permission of the Culture and Tourism Ministry in Satala located within the borders of the Sadak village in the province of Gümüşhane’s Kelkit district, are also supported by the Gümüşhane Governorate.

The head of the excavation and Bartın University Archeology Department Faculty Member Assistant Professor Şahin Yıldırım, told state-run Anadolu Agency ancient Satala was one of the most important cities of the Roman Empire in the east.

Yıldırım said the Euphrates River made the east border of the Roman Empire and four big legions (military headquarters) were situated along the river.

One of these legions was the 15th Apollon legion in ancient Satala. The legion fortresses were built to protect the city from attack. They were military institutions with a first and second army structure like in the Turkish army system.

Yıldırım said the legions were self-sufficient regarding all their needs.

“The main factor in the growth of Satala is the 15th Apollo legion. A legion was composed of roughly 5,000 people. Among them, there were 3,500 legionaries and cavalries and 1,500 elements for support services. We see Satala is a city shaped by the legion fortress. When we look at its population in ancient times, we can say there were at least 10,000-15,000 people,” he added.

Yıldırım also said they identified the excavation areas and studies this year were being carried out regarding the geophysics measurements, identification of the excavation areas, building of the excavation house and the surface surveys in the area.

He said visible historical artifacts in the area would be restored.

“According to us, Satala is the only ancient city in Turkey where an excavation about the Roman military architecture can be made. This will be the first place where a legion fortress is excavated in Turkey. We hope to come across very important clues about the military architecture of the buildings and the Roman military system,” he added.

After the infrastructure work, the officials plan to start next year with archeological excavations in hopes to see the historical stages the legion fortress has been through.

Expectations quite high

Yıldırım said ancient Satala was a settlement arranged by the Roman city system and their expectations from the excavations were quite high.

“According to us, the most important place is the 15th legion headquarter. We will probably see the stages this city went through in the Parthians, Sasanians, Byzantium and Roman periods. We will come across the ruins of the military architecture. We are planning to open the city’s important constructions and building areas, the Roman villas, settlement areas and the related parts. The whole historic duration of the Roman Empire and its fate in Anatolia ends here. The legion is erased here from its historic stage. The fact the legion was built and disappeared in this area is also very important. We will also see how the 15th legion started and how it ended by the excavations we will carry out,” he said.

Yıldırım drew attention to the similarities between Satala and Zeugma and said both of the ancient cities were military garrison cities located on trade roads.

“Zeugma and Satala share the same fortune. Both of them were destroyed in a night raid by the Sasanian King in 226 A.C. and afterwards these legions were erased from the stage of history,” he said.

Yıldırım said these cities were where the nobles, wealthy tradesmen and the soldiers in Rome lived.

“In Zeugma, there were villas, with richly decorated mosaics on the floors and colorful frescos on their walls. We can say there were similar villas in Satala as well. There is a bust of Aphrodite, which was smuggled from here in the 19th century and today it is exhibited in the British Museum in London. This is an artifact showing the importance of Satala. Along with this, it is a melted and a burnt artifact. We have seen similar ones in the Zeugma excavations. Having artifacts of such importance in the city show Satala was not only a legion in Roman times but also a strong city in regard to commercial and economic means.” he added.

Legion and the city will be visible

Together with the excavation work in the area, some experimental archeological work will also be carried out.

“This work will pick up speed as they receive financial support from the Culture and Tourism Ministry and the Gümüşhane Governorate. These are studies that can last 40-50 years. The archeological studies are long term projects. We believe the legion and the city can become visible in the coming 10 years,” said Yıldırım.

The provincial head of culture and tourism, Hüseyin Ateş also brought to mind the ancient city of Satala was registered by the Culture and Tourism Ministry in 1988.

Ateş said surface surveys were done more frequently after 2000. “Exposing the 15th legion as a result of the excavation means this area will become one of the most important touristic destinations in the Black Sea region,” he said.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ancient-tieion-in-the-black-sea-region-120877

ZONGULDAK

The ancient city of Tieion, in the Çaycuma district of the northern Turkish province of Zonguldak, believed to be the first settlement area in the entire Black Sea region dating back to the 6th century B.C., has been uncovered during ongoing excavations at the shore town of Filyos.

Şahin Yıldırım, the head of the excavations from Bartın University’s Archeology Department, told state-run Anadolu Agency that the excavated ancient port, pier, temples, theater and settlement areas provide important information about the region’s social and economic structure throughout history.

“The first excavations started 11 years ago in the Acropolis, which is named the ‘Upper City.’ We especially concentrated in this area because this is the place where the first ancient city in the Black Sea region was built.

Although the ancient studies in the region date back as early as the 7th century B.C., this is a settlement area built in the 6th century B.C.,” said Yıldırım.


He noted that archeology in the Black Sea was underdeveloped compared to the Aegean and Mediterranean regions of Turkey, as many places are under modern settlements today.

“The studies in the Acropolis are of scientific importance to us. This excavation showed us that it is the only ancient site not hidden under a modern settlement in the whole Black Sea region. Today, many ancient cities are under modern settlements in the area. That is why in the Black Sea region not much ancient archeological heritage has been [excavated so far]. So Filyos is unique in that respect,” Yıldırım said.

Before this excavation, the only ancient theater in the northern region was in Amasra but a second one has now been found in Filyos.

“We found a Roman temple and an ancient theater during the excavations. There is also another ancient theater in the same region, in Amasra, but that one has a graveyard on top of it. The ancient theater in Filyos had a capacity of 5,000 people. Currently we have difficulties with the inefficiency of rail access in the area. But after we overcome these difficulties we will continue here with the studies and the restoration,” he said.

During the Filyos excavations the team found the most well-preserved ancient port in the Black Sea and said its pier remains standing up to the present day.

“For two years we have been carrying out excavations under the water in the area. We first started with test diving and identified around eight submerges under water. We saw that these submerges were dating from the Roman period until the Turkish Islamic period. So this ancient port was being used for a long time,” the excavation head Yıldırım said.

We know that the Black Sea was a very important sea line and route and was became a very important trade colony in the Genoese, Ottoman, Roman and Hellenistic periods. We hope to bring these traces to the fore with the studies we will conduct in the excavated ships and ports,” he added.

“Some of the ships are already in quite a good condition. We have projects where we want to introduce these ships to today’s people by making their models and presenting them in the ancient port,” he said, adding that they would continue next year with underwater archeological excavation studies.

In international symposiums the land and underwater excavations at Filyos receive a lot of attention as they offer an insight into the history of the entire Black Sea region and not only one specific area.

Yıldırım also said the excavation is important because it shows the traces of the first Turkish-origin people who settled in this area of the Black Sea region.

“We’re planning a landscaping project in the Akropol area. We will cover the Byzantium fortress completely with a roof that we unearthed in the Akropol. The Roman fortress in the area will be raised in accordance with the found data in the excavations. We will also build a point like a glass terrace around the fortress for people to walk around and visit. Everything will be completed in two or three years,” he said.

Local officials are currently planning an exhibition project to show the discoveries in the Filyos excavations, in order to inform people more about the ancient history of this part of the Black Sea region.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/...on-edge-of-volcanoes-in-Harrat-Khaybar-region

IN a remote desert area in Saudi Arabia, archeologists have found around 400 mysterious stone structures on the edge of volcanoes that are possibly thousands of years old.

The team found the stone structures using Google Earth and these formations have been dubbed the ‘gates’ because they appear to look like field gates from above, reported UK’s Mail Online.

Some of these strange features are more than four times the length of a football pitch, and are built on ancient lava domes and were found in the Harrat Khaybar region in Saudia Arabia.

These structures may be up to 7,000 years old, according to experts, but they have not been able to find out the purpose of these ‘gates’.

Some of the ‘gates’ go up the side of the lava dome.

The strange cluster appear to be the oldest man-made structures in the landscape and some are up to 1,700 feet long and built across old lava domes.

The smallest gates are 43 feet (13 meters) in length while the longest are 1,699 feet (518 meters) long.

And the space between gates varies from miles apart to “almost touching”.

Other structures built by the “Old Men” include “kites”, which archeologists say are stone structures used to catch migratory birds. These are often found on top of gates found in other areas of the Middle East.

Many of the structures have multiple stone walls that form a rectangular design whereas others — called ‘I’ type gates — have one stone wall with piles of stones at the ends.

Hospitable climate?

Experts say that thousands of years ago this area would have been much more hospitable than it is now.

According to David Kennedy of the University of Western Australia, the purpose and age of these structures, remain unknown.

His paper on the subject due for publication next month in the journal Arabian Archeology and Epigraphy, wherein he wrote: “Gates are found almost exclusively in bleak, inhospitable lava fields with scant water or vegetation, places seemingly amongst the most unwelcoming to our species.”

The gates are “stone-built, the walls roughly made and low,” he said.

Remains of lava flows can be seen on top of some of the gates, suggesting that they are older than some of the lava flows. The strange clusters “appear to be the oldest man-made structures in the landscape.”

“The works known as Kites, which are certainly animal traps, may be as old as 9,000 years before present in some cases and there is one example of a kite overlying a gate. So gates may be up to or more than 9,000 years old, which takes one back to the Neolithic.”

— Al Arabiya English

**************

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/excavations-end-in-ephesus-of-black-sea-121141
DÜZCE – Anadolu Agency

This year’s excavations in the ancient city of Prusias ad Hypium have been completed in the northwestern Turkish province of Düzce.

The ancient city, which is known for its ancient theater, aqueducts and Roman Bridge, is sometimes dubbed the “Ephesus of the western Black Sea region,” referring to the famous ancient Roman site in Western Anatolia.

Excavations at the site have been carried out with the joint support of the Düzce University Archaeology Department, the Düzce Governor’s Office, the Konuralp Museum Directorate and the Düzce Municipality.

Züleyha Kartal Önemli, the director of the Konuralp Museum and head of the excavations, said the work unearted “surprises” this year.

“We focused on the western paradox of the ancient theater. This is the area where visitors entered the theater in the Middle Ages. We unearthed the road to this entrance and steps. We also made drilling work and saw that the cavea [the seating sections of Roman amphitheaters] of the theater was intact. This was a surprise for us on the last day of excavations,” Önemli said.

She added that all the artifacts unearthed in the ancient city this year are currently being documented and will be presented to the Preservation Council.

“This year we worked with 30 people. We plan to work with the same team next year,” Önemli stated.

 

[Talwar e Pakistan]

But the bible says the world was created in 4000 B.C how is it possible that the history of 12000 B.C related to Bible or Jewish texts?

He's probably basing it off of Islamic texts which does not claim that the world was created in 4000 BC.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/...ent-town-prepares-to-vanish-under-floodwaters

By Mahmut Bozarslan

AT first glance all is as normal in the Turkish town of Hasankeyf, which has seen the Romans, Byzantines, Turkic tribes and Ottomans leave their mark in over 10,000 years of human settlement.

The Tigris River languidly flows through the historic center of the town in southeast Turkey's Batman province, souvenir sellers offer their wares to a handful of tourists and the famous vista of minarets, the citadel and ruins of a bridge take the breath away.

But within the next few years, this scene is likely to be no more, with the historic center of Hasankeyf set to vanish forever under the floodwaters from the Ilisu Dam project.

Turkish officials argue that the dam's hydroelectric power station will provide electricity and irrigation essential to the development of the Kurdish-dominated southeast.

The historic edifices will be moved in a hugely ambitious program that has parallels with the shifting of key archeological sites from the Pharaonic era in Upper Egypt when the Aswan dam was built in the 1960s.

But some local residents fear the inundation of Hasankeyf will wreak untold damage on the region that will not be avoided purely by shifting the monuments to new areas.

"There is no going back," said Arif Ayhan, a member of the Association for Trade and Tourism in Hasankeyf.

"The people could have been listened to, at least, and not ignored," he added.

"People here feel passed over by the state. It's us who are the victims."

Bazaar trader Mehmet Emin Aydin said: "We will try to fight as long as we can, so that the beauty and history of this city will not be destroyed."

'Insufficient consultation'

With the construction of the dam and hydroelectric plant now almost complete, the flooding process will begin on Dec. 31 to create the lake that will eventually submerge Hasankeyf, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.

The drive to relocate historic monuments has already begun, with the authorities in May moving a 15th-century tomb on a wheeled platform from its location in the town to a new site two km away in a painstaking five-hour journey.

The tomb of Zeynel Bey — a key figure in the early Islamic Ak Koyunlu tribe, one of many fighting for supremacy in Anatolia before the rise of the Ottomans — has been moved to the site of a planned open-air museum on the shore of the new lake.

Striking in its cylindrical structure, the tomb is topped by a dome and still has extremely unusual glazed tiling on its exterior walls.

Authorities plan to fill the new "archaeological park" with nine more monuments from Hasankeyf by the end of the year and hope it will become a major tourist attraction.

But the movement of the tomb has only exacerbated the worries of critics who fear that the dam project is being carried out with scant regard for the town's heritage.

Europa Nostra, a cultural heritage NGO, said the moving of the tomb had been "carried out with insufficient consultation with the local and scholarly communities" warned that similar monuments were "highly endangered".

"The foreseen flooding of Hasankeyf would destroy evidence for one of the oldest organized human settlements ever discovered," it said, adding that "we deeply deplore" the decision to build the dam.

Another controversy erupted in August when local activists posted footage showing Turkish engineers removing rocks from the cliff face overlooking Hasankeyf, alleging that dynamite had been used and historic caves damaged.

Mehmet Ali Aslan, a Batman province MP from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), chained himself to a rock to protest the demolition, saying "I could not believe my eyes" when he saw the footage.

But the province's governor, Ahmet Deniz, said the rocks had been removed because they posed a danger and categorically denied that dynamite had been used.

The issue in Hasankeyf is wrought with sensitivity, and French photographer Mathias Depardon was detained on May 8 while working on a report in Hasankeyf for National Geographic magazine.

He was released after a month in custody, but it was never clear if his detention was linked to the initial accusations of "propaganda for a terror group" — a reference to outlawed Kurdish militants — or his interest in Hasankeyf.

The state has vowed to rehouse those uprooted by the project, with 710 new homes built in the upper parts of the town. But this is scant consolation for some locals.

"I do not need anything from the state, just that they leave their hands off beautiful Hasankeyf," said local resident Ayvaz Tunc.

"I only ask that Hasankeyf remains as it is in all its splendor. I want the tourists to come, I want to live here. I do not want the city to be swallowed up under the waters." — AFP

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/life-in-neolithic-age-comes-to-light-in-yesilova-121399

• October 26 2017 00:01:00

Life in Neolithic Age comes to light in Yeşilova
İZMİR

During the excavations of the 8,500 year-old Yeşilova Mound, known as the oldest settlement in İzmir’s Bornova district, important artifacts that provide information about life in the Neolithic Age have been unearthed.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, head of the excavation team, Assistant Professor Zafer Derin said by the end of the summer season, they had unearthed more than 200 artifacts and had obtained significant data about life in the region thousands of years ago.

Among the artifacts unearthed in the excavations, Derin said a five-centimeter-tall bear statuette dating back to 8,000 years ago was the most striking among them.

“Excavations in and around İzmir revealed that the panther and Anatolian leopard were important animal figures. A bear figure was found in the excavations of Çatalhöyük. There was a lot of interest in animals in this era in Anatolia.

Sometimes they were tied to fear or sometimes they were tied to holiness. The small bear statuette that we found in the Yeşilova Mound is an example of them,” he said.

Derin said they believe the very rare bear statuette was used as a toy to make children love animals.Derin said they had also found a 5,000-year-old pigeon-shaped bottle-nosed pitcher, which might have been used to feed babies.

He said that in that era, the lives of people and animals had been very intertwined.

“People might have used this pitcher to give water or milk to babies 5,000 years ago. Mothers tell their children ‘look, the bird is coming’ when feeding them. Maybe this expression comes from thousands of years ago,” said Derin.

Another finding from the Neolithic Age was a small house sculpture, which gives information about architecture in that era 8,000 years ago, he said.

“This small sculpture is a house from the Aegean region. It is like a sacred house. It was placed inside the home. People worshipped this sculpture, which depicts fruitfulness and fertility. An architect from this era made this sculpture experimentally and it has survived until now. Because the roof is not plain but slopes, it tells us it was made to protect the house from rains. It was built like the Greek temples in western Anatolia,” Derin said.

Derin also said they had removed a 10-12 centimeter-long front shearing tooth of a bear during the excavations in Yassıtepe. “We think these findings of a dead bear might have been used as jewelry as a symbol of power,” he said.

*************
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/earliest-traces-of-turks-in-anatolia-found-in-istanbul-121444

Anatolia found in Istanbul
ÖMER ERBİL

Findings from a subway construction site right next to the Barbaros Boulevard in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district have revealed new information that is set to rewrite the history of Istanbul.

Subway excavations continue in a 3,500-year-old graveyard, the oldest one in Istanbul, where 35 graves have been unearthed so far. The discovery of cairn burials that belong to the Northern Black Sea steppe culture - namely earlier Turkish and Altai cultures - is considered an exciting surprise for the scientific world.

The results of the archaeological excavations in Beşiktaş are also set to address some questions about the well-known history of the Battle of Manzikert, which paved the way for Turks to enter Anatolia in 1071. But current findings show that this goes back to the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age between 1,200 and 1,500 B.C.

Cairn burials

With the special permission of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, we entered the excavation field in Beşiktaş with the Istanbul Archaeology Museums Director Zeynep Kızıltan. Many workers and archaeologists are working in the field.

The excavation field is formed by dozens of round-shape stone masses. Kızıltan said it is the oldest known graveyard in Istanbul.

It is reported that the round-shape stone masses are cairn-type graves, a way old Turkish and Altai cultures buried the dead. Even though archaeologists say it is hard to know the ethnic people who did these burials, scientific sources suggest that Turks maintained their cairn burial methods until the 10th century.

But the result of anthropologists’ analysis on the skeletons in the graves will allow us to learn about the origins of the oldest residents of Istanbul.

Resources on Central Asian and steppe cultures write that the cairn burials, seen in the early Bronze Age (3,000 B.C.), were used by important Turkic tribes such as the Oghuzs, Huns and Göktürks.

Cremations also existed

There are cairn burials in the Balkans too, which indicate there was a migration wave from the steppe cultures during the Bronze Age. The findings in Beşiktaş indicate a relation to that migration wave. People had settled at the edge of the waters running through Istanbul.

The first cairn burial in Istanbul had been unearthed in the Silivri district, on the outskirts of Istanbul, during an excavation by the Istanbul Archelogy Museums. Now the relation between the cairn burial in Silivri and the one found in Beşiktaş will be examined.

So far 35 cairn burials have been unearthed in Beşiktaş. There were cremated bones in some of the burials. The colors of the bones show that they were cremated at temperatures as high as 700-800 degrees.

Among the findings, there were adults buried in the hocker position, as though inside a mother’s womb, in the graves. It is known that both burial types existed in the Northern Black Sea steppe culture.

“We are working on the cairn burial field. There are two types of burial methods here. One is the cremation burials, and the other is the hocker or half-hocker position burials. The number of cremated burials is much higher. After the body is cremated, the remaining bones and ashes are buried and then covered with stones. This type of burial dates back to 1,100-1,200 B.C. But it will become definite as a result of 14 carbon analyses and DNA tests,” Kızıltan said.

 

[Hindustani78]

• November 10 2017 15:40:00

Artifacts on display at century-old Adana factory
ADANA

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/artifacts-on-display-at-century-old-adana-factory-122252

The Archaeology Museum, the first stage of the Adana Museum Complex, established in a century-old restored factory, was opened to visitors in May and has received 47,000 people since its first day.

The museum sheds light on the history of the Hittite, Assyrians, Ancient Greek, Roman, Seljuk and Ottoman periods in southern Turkey.

The southern province of Adana, positioned on the coast of the Mediterranean on the rich land between the Seyhan and Ceyhan rivers, is believed to have hosted 19 different civilizations since the ancient era.

Works for the museum complex were initiated around three years ago by the Culture and Tourism Ministry General Directorate of Cultural Artifacts and Museums in the Milli Mensucat (National Textile) Factory. The factory was built in 1907 in the southern province of Adana’s Seyhan district.

When the museum complex is completely finished, it will be one of the biggest museum complexes in the Middle East.

The Archaeology Museum section of the complex covers an area of 12,500 square meters and features the activities of human beings since the ancient ages with documents, visuals, dioramas and animations in seven halls. Artifacts in the museum are placed in the hangars of the factory in chronological order.

Among the most significant artifacts on display are the stone sculpture of the Hittite Storm God Tarhun, a stele with the Anatolian hieroglyph inscription, Babylon stele, a bronze male sculpture removed from the sea in Adana’s Karataş district, and the Roman-era Anthropoid Tomb and Achilles Tomb.

Adana Museum Director Nedim Dervişoğlu said the museum opened on May 18 this year after three years of work. “The museum has been planned in two stages. The first stage has been visited by thousands of people since May. We created the display rooms in the hangars of the factory. The 100-year tissue of the building was not touched,” Dervişoğlu added.

He also revealed that the mosaic section of the complex is due to open next year open soon. “The restoration of the agricultural, industrial and urban stages of the museum complex will start next year. Currently the Archaeology Museum displays 1,200 artifacts. The mosaic section, which is set to open in 2018, will display nearly 800 square-meters of mosaics in total,” Dervişoğlu said.

 

[Hindustani78]

But the bible says the world was created in 4000 B.C how is it possible that the history of 12000 B.C related to Bible or Jewish texts?

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world...1-300-years/story-XPCyKygDWTtgwadItx2ZLJ.html

The world’s oldest complete Latin Bible in existence is set to return to the UK after over 1,300 years for display in an exhibition by the British Library next year.
world Updated: Dec 03, 2017 16:27 IST

Press Trust of India, London

he one-foot thick Codex Amiatinus, one of the three great single-volume Bibles that was made at the monastery at Wearmouth-Jarrow, is returning to England for the first time in 1300 years.(Shutterstock Representative Photo)

The world’s oldest complete Latin Bible in existence is set to return to the UK after over 1,300 years for display in an exhibition by the British Library next year.

The one-foot thick Codex Amiatinus, one of the three great single-volume Bibles that was made at the monastery at Wearmouth-Jarrow, is returning to England for the first time in 1300 years, after it was taken to Italy as a gift for the Pope in 716, the British Library said.

“It is now held in the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence which is generously loaning the manuscript next year,” the library said in a blog post on November 30.

The Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms exhibition will be open at the British Library from October 19, 2018 to February 19, 2019.

The Bible will be on show with the St Cuthbert Gospel, the earliest intact European book, which was also made at Wearmouth-Jarrow and was acquired by the British Library in 2012.

“The two books are very different: while the St Cuthbert Gospel, which contains only the Gospel of John, can be held in one hand, the spine of Codex Amiatinus, containing the whole Bible, is nearly a foot thick.

“These two books will be exhibited alongside the Lindisfarne Gospels, one of Britain’s greatest artistic treasures, and other illuminated manuscripts of international significance made in the late 7th and 8th centuries,” it said.

Ranging from the 5th to the 11th centuries, the exhibition will explore this “long, dynamic period” when the English language was used and written down for the first time and a kingdom of England was first created.

The library said a key theme in the exhibition will be the development of the English language and the emergence of English literature.

“We will explore the use of writing on inscribed objects and in documents as well as in books, and will present highlights of the bilingual literary culture. The major works of Old English poetry survive in only four manuscripts, and all four will be brought together at the British Library next autumn for the first time,” it said.

Also, the unique manuscript of Beowulf, held in the British Library, will be displayed with the Vercelli Book on loan from the Biblioteca Capitolare in Vercelli, while the Exeter Book on loan from Exeter Cathedral Library and the Junius Manuscript on loan from the Bodleian Library in Oxford.

“This will be the first time that the Vercelli Book has been in England in at least 900 years,” it said.

A significant number of the exhibits have never been seen together before, and some have not been reunited for centuries, the library said.

************

http://www.unc.edu/celtic/catalogue/manuscripts/CoAm.html
FLORENCE, BIBLOITECA MEDICCEA LAURENZIANA MS AMIATINUS I — BIBLE (VULGATE, CODEX AMIATINUS)LATE 7TH CENTURY

This Bible is a copy of the 6th-century Codex Grandior, now lost, which was a pandect, a full Bible containing both the Old and New Testaments. Three copies were made of it, of which this is the only known to survive. (According to Bruce-Mitford, two or three similar leaves, with the same dimensions, number of lines, and uncial script as the Codex Amiatinus are in the british Museum; they are called the Middleton leaves. Another similar leaf was found in a Newcastle bookshop in 1909.) The Codex Amiatinus was given by Ceolfrid, the Abbot of Monkwearmouth/Jarrow, to Pope Gregory II. The Codex Grandior was also the model for the portrait of Matthew in the Lindisfarne Gospels.


The two major illuminations of the Codex Amiatinus are the portrait of Ezra and the depiction of Christ in majesty. The portrait of Ezra in particular is done in the late antique illusionistic style; the forms are modeled in light and dark areas and the color is naturalistic. This is markedly different from the abstract image of Matthewís symbol, the Man, in the Book of Durrow. The page depicting Christ in Majesty is less classicized. One reason for this is that the Codex Grandior may not have contained a page of this type.

The use of gold also indicates Byzantine influence, which is supported by the iconographical similarity of the Ezra portrait to a 10th century Byzantine portrait of St. Matthew.


*****

The Codex Grandior ("Larger Codex") was a large single volume copy of the Bible in an Old Latin translation that was made for or by Cassiodorus.

Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator (c. 485 – c. 585), commonly known as Cassiodorus, was a Roman statesman and writer serving in the administration of Theoderic the Great, king of the Ostrogoths.

 

[El Sidd]

What an informative thread.

Thank you

 

[Hindustani78]

Dec 05, 2017 10:39 IST

• 
  

9/10
An Orthodox Christian priest walks inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City. As night falls, Adeeb Joudeh, a Muslim, makes his way through the stone alleyways of Jerusalem’s walled Old City cradling the ancient key to one of Christianity’s holiest sites. (Ronen Zvulun / REUTERS)

9/10
Worshippers touch the purported tomb of Jesus in the burial place, known as the Edicule, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Jerusalem’s Old City today houses sites that are sacred to all three major monotheisms. It and other east Jerusalem areas were captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war. (Ronen Zvulun / REUTERS)

9/10
Adeeb Joudeh, the custodian of the ancient key to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, walks as he holds the church key in Jerusalem's Old City. Centuries ago, the imposing iron key was entrusted to his family, one of Jerusalem’s most prominent clans, says Joudeh. (Ronen Zvulun / REUTERS)

9/10
Adeeb Joudeh, displays the ancient keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, at his home near Jerusalem's Old City. He dates the arrangement back to the time of Saladin, the Muslim conqueror who seized the holy city from the Crusaders in 1187. (Ronen Zvulun / REUTERS)

9/10
Adeeb Joudeh, shows royal decrees called "Fermans", by rulers of the Ottoman empire, bestowing the key custodianship of the Church upon his family. Historians differ on the roots of the arrangement. Some researchers say Saladin most likely bestowed the guardianship upon two families in order to assert Muslim dominance over Christianity. Documentation, however, only goes back to the 16th century, Joudeh said. (Ronen Zvulun / REUTERS)

9/10
Another of the city’s oldest Muslim families, the Nusseibehs, were entrusted with the duty of opening and closing the church doors, a task they perform to this day. It requires firm fingers: The key is 30 cm (12 inches) long and weighs 250 grams (0.5 pounds). Joudeh says his key is about 800 years old. Another copy he holds broke after centuries of use. (Ronen Zvulun / REUTERS)

9/10
Adeeb Joudeh (R), looks at a priest as he peers through an opening in the church doors as they prepare to open it, in Jerusalem's Old City. “I started learning this when I was eight years old. It’s handed down from father to son,” said Joudeh. “I have been doing this for 30 years and I feel that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is my second home.” (Ronen Zvulun / REUTERS)

9/10
Worshippers stand nearby as a priest peers out from the Edicule, the burial place housing the purported tomb of Jesus, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic denominations share custody of the church, where tensions often run high over control of its various sectors. (Ronen Zvulun / REUTERS)

9/10
A worshipper visits the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City. Christianity scholar Yisca Harani said having Muslim families in charge of the key and the doors helps somewhat in keeping the peace between the denominations. (Ronen Zvulun / REUTERS)

9/10
Worshippers visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Israel has since declared the entire city its undivided capital. This status is not recognized internationally and is rejected by the Palestinians, but “The church is definitely a model of co-existence,” Harani said. (Ronen Zvulun / REUTERS)

 

[Hindustani78]

http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/turkish-assyrians-jerusalem-belongs-to-3-faiths-not-1/998740

We hope Jerusalem will become a city of peace and bring peace to the Middle East,' says Assyrian pastor in Mardin, Turkey

08.12.2017

Mardin Protestant Church Pastor Ender Peker
By Halil Ibrahim Sincar, Nilay Kar

MARDIN

Members of Turkey’s Assyrian Christian community on Friday criticized the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Speaking to reporters in the southeastern Mardin province, Mardin Protestant Church Pastor Ender Peker stressed the importance of Jerusalem for all three Abrahamic faiths -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

“One of the names for Jerusalem is Dar-Es Salaam, which means ‘city of peace.’ In line with this name, let peace in Jerusalem continue,” said the clergyman.

“Jerusalem is important to everyone. Many prophets passed through there. It a sacred place for many religions. So our wish is that no problem breaks out there," he continued.

Stating that Jerusalem should not get caught up in politics, the pastor said: “The solution lies with politicians.”

“We hope it becomes a city of peace and will bring peace to Middle East,” he added.

Suphi Yerli, 73, an Assyrian craftsman, called Jerusalem the “common heritage of all humanity.”

“Jerusalem should not be the capital” of Israel, he said.

“Jerusalem belongs not only to the Jews, but also to all Christians and Muslims.”

He added: “My request of Jews is, ‘Don’t do that.’ People will suffer from this. War will erupt again, blood will be shed again. People will go hungry.”

U.S. President Donald Trump announced his decision on Wednesday despite widespread international opposition.

Jerusalem remains at the core of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- now occupied by Israel -- might eventually serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

On the campaign trail last year, Trump repeatedly promised to relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Turkey will host an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Dec. 13 to discuss the U.S. move.

Assyrians or Syriacs are an ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient northern Mesopotamia. Their language Assyrian – an Aramaic tongue – is one of the oldest in the world, with a history stretching back 5,500 years.

Community groups say there are some 26,000 Assyrians living in Turkey. Around 20,000 of them live in Istanbul, while others live in the eastern cities of Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, and Mardin.

 

[Hindustani78]

• December 09 2017 10:38:00

Rumi an ‘architect’ of peace in Anatolia
KONYA

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/rumi-an-architect-of-peace-in-anatolia-konya-governor-123838

Mevlana Jalaluddin al-Rumi, a Sufi mystic and Islamic scholar who is today revered in Turkey as a spiritual pioneer, was one of the “architects” of centuries of peace and tranquility in Anatolia.

“Throughout our history, peace and tranquility has prevailed in Anatolia, the cradle of civilizations. Spiritual architects like Mevlana have a big share in this,” Konya Mayor Yakup Canbolat said on the first day of events commemorating the 13th century philosopher in the Central Anatolian province.

On the 744th anniversary of his death, Mevlana is being commemorated at his burial place in Konya in a ceremony known as Seb-i Aruz or “reunion with the Beloved.”

Centered around the theme “Time of Brotherhood,” this year’s celebrations are taking place between Dec. 7-17.

Beginning with a visit to the tomb of Shams Tabrizi and the “Brotherhood March,” the events continued with a Sema ceremony in the Mevlana Whirling Dervish Hall and later a Gulbang, or traditional collective prayer.

“We think that differences among us are our richness. Putting all differences aside, we call on the whole world: It is a time of brotherhood,” Canbolat said, stressing the “constructive” and “unitary” messages of Mevlana.

As part of the events, the 4th International Mevlana Symposium was held at Konya’s Seljuk University on Dec. 8.

Speaking at a symposium titled “Mevlana and Brotherhood in the Muslim World,” Emrullah İşler, an Ankara deputy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), underscored Mevlana’s status as a role model.

“During these days of need for brotherhood and unity, the leadership of people like Mevlana will enlighten our road and help us solve the problems we face,” İşler said.

The 10-day ceremony covers more than 1,300 programs including international symposiums, exhibitions, workshops, auditions, meetings and a Mevlana movie screening.

Mevlevi Ayin-i Sherif, a “whirling” act accompanied by music and characterized by certain rules, is also being observed during the Seb-i Aruz ceremony.

For the first time as part of the international commemoration ceremony, visitors will be able to view an exhibition called “derviş çeyizi,” or dervish dowry, which displays the clothes of many dervishes from throughout history.

The program also includes Mesnevi lectures in Turkish and English.

The final day of festivities, marking the night of Rumi’s “reunion with the Beloved,” will be attended by artists, scientists and Rumi lovers from Turkey and abroad.

 

[Hindustani78]

900-year-old baths found in southeastern Turkey

The remains of a 12th century bathhouse discovered in southeast Turkey. The baths date to the Zengids, a Turkic dynasty that ruled the Levant and Upper Mesopotamia on behalf of the Seljuks. Archeologists uncover domed cooling and heating rooms dating back 900 years.





The remains of a 12th century bathhouse discovered in southeast Turkey. The baths date to the Zengids, a Turkic dynasty that ruled the Levant and Upper Mesopotamia on behalf of the Seljuks. Archeologists uncover domed cooling and heating rooms dating back 900 years.















http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/secret-tunnel-discovered-in-sumela-monastery-124552
TRABZON - Anadolu Agency

Two years of restoration works in the Sümela Monastery located in the northeastern province of Trabzon have unearthed a field in the upper right side of its northern roof.

The field, which is reached through a secret tunnel, is believed to have served as a temple or chapel for Christians.

Works have been continuing in the area, readying it to open to visitors.

One of the most important historic and touristic venues in Trabzon, the Sümela Monastery is located at the foot of the Karadağ Mount and is visited by 600,000 people on average every year. The monastery was closed two years ago to undergo restoration works.

As part of the restoration in the monastery, a special team of industrial mountaineers is working to prevent the masses of rock and ice from falling. The three-stage works aims to clean an area of 79,000 square meters.

It has been reported that the field is home to unseen frescoes depicting heaven and hell as well as life and death. The chapel is set to become a new destination for those interested in the history of the site.

A 30-meter road is planned to be constructed in the field. The damaged frescoes and roof sections will also be repaired.

Speaking about the issue, Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Ali Ayvazoğlu said visitors will be able to see the sections that have never been seen before.

“Once the restoration is finished, surprises will await our visitors here. They will have the chance to enter all the spots they have never visited before in the monastery. Without making the same mistakes in previous restorations, we will do more beautiful things using the current technology. The damaged parts of the frescoes are being repaired. We are also restoring the area, which served as a library in the past, on the right side of the monastery’s entrance. We will also have a different surprise but visitors will see it at the opening,” he said.

Ayvazoğlu believes that after the restoration, the monastery will woo more tourists not only to the religious site but also the region.

“When the Sümela Monastery closed to visitors in 2015, the number of tourists visiting the region fell. In 2016, the Hagia Varvara Church right next to the monastery was restored and the number of tourists coming to the region began increasing again. Those who were not able to enter Sümela photographed the Altındere Valley and the monastery from the terraces. They also visited the church. There was a 10-percent increase in the number of tourists compared to the figures of last year,” he added.

Koray Koçhan, the mayor of Maçka, said the Sümela Monastery is a symbol of Trabzon and Maçka, adding that it was also a religious center for the Orthodox world thanks to the rites held on Aug. 15.

Stating that the monastery had not been restored for many years, Koçhan said, “Rocks began falling from the mount around the monastery in the recent years. One night, a desk-sized rock fell on to the ticket windows. Luckily it happened at night, which prevented any casualties from happening. Then we began giving helmets to the visitors. Now the works aim at preventing the fall of the rocks and the restoration of the monastery. The cost of both works is 50 million Turkish Liras, fivefold of the annual budget of the municipality. Now there is a big mass of rock above the gate of the monastery and the restoration works are trying to prevent that from falling. When this work is done, certain parts of the monastery will reopen in July or August next year.”

Koçhan said the restoration will protect Sümela for the next 1,000 years.

“When the visitors come to the monastery, they used to see the church on the left of the entrance. But now there is an even older chapel, reached through a secret tunnel. There are many different frescoes here. They depict heaven and hell and life and death. One of the walls is intact and the frescoes are more authentic there. We anticipate that this place was built before the Sümela Monastery, when Christianity was not very popular. When all the work is done, visitors will be able to spend a whole day there,” he added.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tu...l-artifacts-smuggling-ring-in-istanbul-126367

January 26 2018 16:56:00
Turkish police bust PYD-linked archeological artifacts smuggling ring in Istanbul
Çetin Aydın - ISTANBUL

Istanbul police have seized invaluable archeological artifacts smuggled from areas under the control of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syria into Turkey.

The smugglers reportedly planned to sell the objects abroad and send the revenue to the PYD.

Units from Istanbul’s Anti-Smuggling Department seized highly valuable artifacts dating back to the Sumerian, Assyrian, Akkad, Ottoman and Seljuk civilizations.

Among the retrieved artifacts were 3,500-year-old Sumerian jewelries and seals belonging to the Assyrian and Akkad civilizations, as well as rare objects from the Byzantine era.

The retrieved artifacts will be handed over to the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, the Topkapı Palace Museum and the Archeology Museum.

The police had obtained information that a number of artifacts had been extracted from ancient grave sites in PYD-controlled areas and the objects would be smuggled into Turkey to be sold later abroad.

Acting on the tipoff, police units launched five separate raids in two weeks. Nine people, including an antiques dealer, were detained in connection with the smuggling. Those detained were later released.

This followed another major operation in Istanbul last month.

On Dec. 21, Istanbul police seized 26,456 ancient artifacts and detained 13 suspects as part of an operation considered the biggest in Turkish history.

Among the items recovered were a golden queen’s crown with an inscription of the Hellenistic god Helios, a bust dedicated to Alexander the Great’s conquest of India and a statue of a goddess dating back to the Hittite era 3,000 years ago.

The 26,456 objects recovered also included Egyptian-origin statues and Phoenician-type teardrop vials.