Burdur

The Medusa and Odeion stoa floor mosaics in the ancient city of Kibyra in the southern province of Burdur, which had been left exposed during the summer, have now been covered to safeguard them from the harsh weather conditions, excavation head Professor Şükrü Özüdoğru has announced.

The Medusa mosaic will be reopened to visitors in April next year.

Denmark's Glyptotek art museum announced on Nov. 26 that it will return the bronze head of Roman Emperor Septimius Severus to Türkiye, after showcasing it for over 50 years.

The statue, which originates from the ancient city of Boubon in Burdur, was illegally excavated in the 1960s and subsequently sold to Denmark's Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in 1970.

Excavation and restoration efforts are ongoing to restore the 1,892-year-old Hadrian's Fountain, one of the monumental fountains in the ancient city of Sagalassos, situated in the southern province of Burdur's Ağlasun district.

A ceremony was held on Sept. 12 in New York for the return of 14 historical artifacts seized in the U.S.

The Medusa mosaic and the Odeon stoa floor mosaic in the ancient city of Kibyra in the southern province of Burdur are now open to visitors again. The artifacts, which remain closed during the winter months for protection against climatic conditions, will be open to visitors until the end of November.

As drought continues to afflict the region, the receding shores of Lake Burdur have transformed into a playground for extreme sports enthusiasts. Located in the southwest of Türkiye, the shrinking lake has become a natural terrain for activities like enduro, off-roading and paragliding, drawing locals who seek adventure and relaxation against the backdrop of breathtaking scenery.

Türkiye's population, like the rest of the world, is aging and new social arrangements should be made to address the emerging needs of a shifting demographic, experts have said.

The population aged 65 and above reached around 8,722,000 people in 2023, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK).

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced that more than 3,000 artifacts were returned to the country in 2023 within the scope of the works.

United States authorities have returned $8 million of stolen antiquities, some of which were plundered as far back as the 1960s to Türkiye, a prosecutor said on Dec. 5.

Among the 41 pieces returned were two Heads of the Roman emperor Caracalla and the Bust of a Lady which were trafficked from Bubon, a Roman-era site in southwest Türkiye which was extensively looted in the 1960s.

A mounted gendarmerie team has started to work in Salda Lake, famous for its turquoise water and white beach in Yeşilova district of the southern province of Burdur.