Sanliurfa

As 2023 nears its end, archaeologists working in ancient cities all around Anatolia made significant discoveries throughout the year. According to archaeology magazine Arkeofili editors, the most exciting archaeological discoveries in Türkiye in 2023 are as follows:

1. Boar statue in Göbeklitepe

The Interior Ministry has announced the apprehension of 98 individuals over their alleged ties to the PKK in an effort spanning 18 provinces.

One of the biggest busts occurred in the southeastern city of Mardin, where 17 suspects were detained for disseminating PKK propaganda through their social media accounts.

The number of critically endangered bald ibis, seen only in the Nile Valley and in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa, has increased from 41 to 333 thanks to protection efforts carried out since 2001.

An allegation of a Syrian national committing sexual abuse against a 9-year-old child in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa has led the outrage and flared tension as local residents poured into the streets to protest the incident.

More than 54 million people on May 14 dropped their votes in over 197,000 ballot boxes set up across the country for the presidential runoff elections.

Though the voting process ended at 5 p.m., citizens waiting to cast ballots at polling booths during the deadline voted in turns under the supervision of attendants.

The rate of associate degree, bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctorate aged 25 and over in Türkiye's total population was 23.9 percent in 2022, the data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) have shown.

The state of emergency declared after the earthquakes in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş will end on May 9, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Chairman for Election Affairs Ali İhsan Yavuz said on May 4 in a televised interview.

Floods caused by heavy rain have killed at least ten people in Turkey's Sanliurfa and Adiyaman provinces, which were hit by severe twin earthquakes in February.

"Our goal is to find our missing people as soon as possible," Adil Karaismailoglu, Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, said on Wednesday.

The hottest day in Türkiye in 2022 was on July 15 in the southeastern province of Şırnak's Silopi district at 47.9 degrees, the Turkish State Meteorological Service has said in its latest report.

The bureau published a report indicating meteorological extreme values of the province and districts in 2022.

Around 1 million tourists are expected to visit the southern province of Şanlıurfa, where Göbeklitepe and Karahantepe, two of the oldest traces of civilization, are located, by the end of the year.