On a hill bordered by steep mountains in the state of Ağrı, eastern Turkey, the historic Ishak Pasha Palace sits with its majestic structure like an eagle’s nest, attracting local and foreign tourists.

The historic palace, which was built in the “Tulip Era” (1718 – 1730) during the rule of the Ottoman Empire, is considered one of the distinctive monuments of that era in the Anatolia region.

The palace is located at the top of a hill south of Dogu Bayezid district and is surrounded on the eastern and southern sides by steep mountains.

Thanks to its location resembling an eagle’s nest and its location between historical monuments such as the Urartu Castle, the Ahmed Khani Museum and the Bayezid Mosque, the palace attracts tourists throughout the year.

Among its sides, the palace, which is listed on the UNESCO Tentative World Heritage List, includes a mosque, walls, rooms, and internal and external courtyards.

Last year, 213,000 people visited the historic building, which bears in its architectural structure and the decorations carved on its walls traces of Ottoman, Seljuk, Baroque and Rococo architecture.

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10,564 tourists visited the ancient “Sümela Monastery” in the state of Trabzon, northeastern Turkey, during the days of Eid al-Fitr.

The monastery is located on the slope of the Altin Dara Valley in the Karadag Mountain in the Machka region, and is included in the Tentative List of World Cultural Heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Heritage Organization (UNESCO).

The monastery, also known as the Monastery of the Virgin Mary, is carved into the rocks at an altitude of 300 meters and blends nature with history and culture.

According to data from officials of the Culture and Tourism Directorate in Trabzon, the total number of tourists who visited the Sümela Monastery during the holiday reached 10,564 people from Turkey and other countries.

Shula Keskin said that she came to visit Trabzon from the state of Erzurum in northeastern Turkey, and that the “Sümela Monastery” impressed her very much.

In turn, Recep Çakir said that he came from the state of Istanbul in northwestern Turkey, calling on everyone to visit the “Sümela Monastery” and see the historical fabric of the region.

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The Cappadocia region in the state of Nevşehir in central Turkey received an unprecedented high volume of tourists during the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

The occupancy rate of hotels and accommodation in the region reached almost 100 percent.

In addition to foreign tourists in the region, Cappadocia received local visitors during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which increased demand for the region, famous for its tourist attractions.

Ozay Onur, head of the Chamber of Tourist Guides in Nevşehir, said that Cappadocia and its surrounding areas witnessed an increase in the number of visitors during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, whether from foreign tourists or citizens.

He added that the density of visitors reached unprecedented levels during this period.

In turn, Argun Ishiq, a visitor to Cappadocia, said that he chose to spend the Eid holiday this year in Cappadocia.

He expressed his admiration for the tourist and archaeological attractions in the region.

The Cappadocia region is distinguished as one of the most strange and beautiful natural landscapes in the world, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has classified it as a World Heritage Site.

What the region is most famous for are the “fairy chimneys” or “devil’s tables”, which are column-shaped stones topped with rocks, which were formed naturally as a result of the influence of winds and weather factors on the volcanic rocks that the region abounds in.

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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) agreed to include the Gaza Strip in its agenda of future activities at the request of Turkey.

Turkey’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Gülnur Aybet, delivered a speech on the last day of the 219th session of the Executive Board of UNESCO.

Aybet expressed Turkey’s welcome of the organization’s action plan regarding Gaza, while at the same time expressing their dismay at the way in which the UNESCO draft on Gaza was presented.

She stressed the necessity of sharing and discussing the issues on the agenda with member states before the start of the Council’s work so that it would be easier to reach consensus.

She added: “We are pleased that UNESCO will submit a report on all its activities in conflict situations, including its activities in Gaza.”

She pointed out that the entire United Nations system was born from the ashes of a horrific world war, during which crimes against humanity were committed, so these institutions were created with the aim of never repeating such crimes.

She stated that despite this, wars and crimes against humanity have been repeated several times since then, pointing to the death of defenseless people again 30 years after the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In written statements, Aybet said that they drew attention during the work of the 219th session of the Executive Board of UNESCO to the failure to include work in Gaza in the report that presents UNESCO’s annual activities.

She explained that Gaza will be added to the agenda of UNESCO activities from now on, at the initiative of Türkiye.

It is noteworthy that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) included the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, which considers crimes against the Holy Books a violation of international law, in its resolution on racism, discrimination, and hate crimes, also at the initiative of Turkey.

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A concert was held at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the French capital, Paris, with the participation of artists from the Turkish world on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of the World Organization for Turkish Culture “Turksoy.”

The ceremony was hosted by the permanent representations of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to UNESCO under the slogan “We are together.”

The ceremony was attended by Turkey’s Ambassador to Paris, Yunus Demirar, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Turksoy Organization, Said Yusuf, the Permanent Representative of Turkey to UNESCO, Ambassador Gulnur Aybet, the Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to UNESCO, Ambassador Alman Abdullayev, the Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to UNESCO, Ambassador Askar Abdurakhmanov, and a large number of guests.

Artists from the Turkish world presented a concert with a collection of Turkish melodies and folk songs from Central Asia to Anatolia.

Dressed in different traditional Turkish costumes, the artists performed local dances from the Turkish world at the ceremony.

The Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to UNESCO, Abdullayev, said in his speech during the opening of the ceremony: “The Turkish world played an important role in the history of civilizations with its ancient and wonderful culture.”

Abdullayev stressed that every member of the Turksoy family supports the organization in order to protect and enhance the common Turkish heritage.

TÜRKSOY was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in the Turkish capital, Ankara. It is an international organization concerned with the cultural affairs of Turkish-speaking countries.

Its primary members are: Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the Republics of Tatarstan and Yakutia in the Russian Federation, and the Autonomous Region of Gagauzia in Moldova are members as observers in the organization.

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Ankara announced on Wednesday that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has included four Turkish cultural elements on its lists of intangible cultural heritage.

This came in a statement by the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, on social media, in which he explained that Turkey has become the second country to register the largest number of cultural elements on UNESCO lists after China.

Ersoy said that the meeting of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in the city of Kasane in the Republic of Botswana discussed 4 Turkish cultural elements today and decided to include them on its lists.

He congratulated the Minister on the decision to include four living heritage elements of Turkey, namely “the craftsmanship and performance of the mei/balaban musical instrument,” “the social and cultural traditions related to breakfast,” “the art of mother-of-pearl inlay,” and “the art of gilding,” to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

He stated that Turkey has become the second country to register the largest number of cultural elements on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, as its listed cultural elements have reached 30, while China tops the list with 43 cultural elements.

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Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced on Wednesday his country’s election as a member of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Ersoy said in a blog post on the “X” platform: “We have good news! Turkey has been elected as a member of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.”

He explained that Turkey became a member of the committee through the vote that took place at the session of the “Twenty-Fourth General Assembly of States Parties” held on Wednesday in the French capital, Paris.

He added, “During Turkey’s membership, which will last four years, it will have a say, along with other members of the World Heritage Committee, in the decision-making process regarding candidates for inclusion in the World Heritage List.”

The minister pointed out that Turkey was also a member of the World Heritage Committee in the periods 1983-1989 and 2013-2017.

On the other hand, a statement issued by the Turkish Ministry of Culture stated that Turkey received the highest votes during the elections held at the twenty-fourth session of the General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention relating to the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which was held in Paris on November 22 and 23.

Turkey received 137 votes, winning membership in the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the period 2023-2027.

The statement added that Turkey aims to share its experience and knowledge in managing and protecting 21 World Heritage sites representing all civilizations that have existed in Anatolia since the Neolithic Age with the international plan as a member of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO.

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The Göbekli Tepe archaeological area in the state of Sanliurfa, southeastern Turkey, received approximately 5,000 visitors daily during the first mid-term school holiday, which extends from November 13 to 17.

Göbekli Tepe, which is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is described as “point zero in human history.”

During this period, Göbekli Tepe attracted thousands of foreign and local visitors.

According to the Göbekli Tepe Museum Directorate, the latter received approximately 5,000 local and foreign visitors daily during the holiday period.

Muslim Çoban, Secretary-General of the Chamber of Tourist Guides in the Sanliurfa region, said that the latter was one of the main destinations during the mid-first semester holiday.

He added that Göbekli Tepe was primarily a destination for families, noting that it witnessed heavy demand during this period.

The Göbekli Tepe site is one of the oldest places of worship on the face of the earth. It was discovered in 1963 by researchers from the American universities of Istanbul and Chicago. Excavation and research continued for about 54 years.

In 1995, many antiquities were discovered in the region, including “T”-shaped stone obelisks dating back to the Neolithic era, measuring between 3 and 6 meters in length and weighing between 40 and 60 tons, bearing drawings, animal shapes, and human statues.​​​​​​

In 2018, the Göbekli Tepe region was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and it continues to be the subject of many books, films, documentaries, series, and animated films.

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The number of tourists participating in thermal balloon flights in the Cappadocia region in the state of Nevşehir in central Turkey during the first ten months of this year reached 556,306 tourists.

This came according to the latest data revealed by Nevşehir Province on Sunday regarding the number of tourists who visited the Cappadocia region this year.

The data showed that the number of tourists who visited the region since the beginning of this year reached 4 million, 256 thousand and 129 tourists.

The region is characterized by one of the most unusual and beautiful landscapes in the world, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has classified it as a World Heritage Site.

What the region is most famous for are “fairy chimneys” or “devil’s tables,” which are column-shaped stones topped with rocks that look like mushrooms, and were formed naturally as a result of the influence of winds and weather factors on the volcanic rocks that the region abounds in.

Cappadocia is the center of hot air ballooning in the world due to the largest number of balloon flights throughout the year.​​​​​​

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Turkish archaeologists found the first colored statue at the Gobekli Tepe site in Şanlıurfa state, which is considered “zero point in history” and its history extends back 12,000 years.

A human statue, considered the “most realistic”, was also found at the Kara Khantepe site, which is about 35 km from Gobekli Tepe in the state of Şanlıurfa, southeastern Turkey.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Saturday, during the excavations carried out by the Ministry, a life-sized statue of a wild boar made of limestone was found in Gobekli Tepe.

This work, in which remains of red, white and black pigment appear on its surface, is the first colored statue discovered from that era.

The wild boar statue discovered in Gobekli Tepe is located on a platform that includes decorations, which are a symbol in the shape of the letter “H”, a crescent, two snakes, and three shapes believed to represent masks or human faces.

– Realistic human statue in “Qara Khan Tepe”

The 2.3-meter-high human statue with “realistic” facial expressions was found mounted on a mastaba in Karakhan Tepe, and is nominated as one of the most impressive examples of prehistoric art.

The features of the sitting statue resemble those of a dead person, with rib bones, spine and shoulder bones protruding.

A statue of an eagle placed on the wall and stone vessels left on the ground were also discovered in the area where the human statue was found.

The Gobekli Tepe site is one of the oldest places of worship on the face of the earth. It was discovered in 1963 by researchers from the American universities of Istanbul and Chicago, and excavation and research continued for about 54 years.

In 1995, many antiquities were discovered in the area, including “T”-shaped stone obelisks dating back to the Neolithic era, measuring between 3 and 6 meters in length and weighing between 40 and 60 tons, bearing drawings, animal shapes, and human statues.​​​​​​

In 2018, the Gobekli Tepe region was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List and continues to be the subject of many books, films, documentaries, series and animation films.

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