Ottoman architecture

An aerial view of northwestern Edirne province shows clouds and fog drifting around the famous Selimiye Mosque, on Oct. 2.

İshak Paşa Palace, one of the most distinguished examples of the 18th century Ottoman architecture in eastern Turkey, attracts tourists' attention while shedding light on history.

The first and only six-minaret mosque of Ottoman architecture - the iconic Blue Mosque in Istanbul - is undergoing the most comprehensive restoration in its 400-year history.

Israel released two prisoners on April 28, sending them back to Syria in what Damascus described as Russian-mediated reciprocation for the repatriation of the body of a long-missing Israeli soldier.

A "huge explosion" near a military intelligence office in Damascus on Jan. 20 left a number of dead and wounded, a war monitor said, after state TV reported early indications suggested a "terrorist act".

Hundreds of visitors seen entering the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the death of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the modern Republic of Turkey on Nov. 10. Atatürk died at the age of 57 in the Dolmabahçe Palace due to health problems. (Photo: Anadolu Agency)

Ongoing restorations at Topkapı Palace have unearthed never-before-seen silver and gold coins, jewelries, talismans, amulets and letters. But one mysterious finding amongst others was an encrypted letter dating back to 1871, carrying the seal of Cevher Agha, also known as the Dârüssaade Ağası, the chief eunuch of Sultan Abdülaziz’s harem, found in a closet at the harem of the palace.

The Aegean province of Kuşadası will host the Olive Festival on Nov 3 and 4. The Kuşadası Municipality Chamber Orchestra will perform the 2,000-year-old Seikilos epitaph, one of the oldest music examples in the world, on Nov 4 at the Öküz Mehmed Paşa Caravanserai.

Syria's antiquities authority on Oct. 3 unveiled an exhibition in Damascus of hundreds of artefacts retrieved from around the war-torn country.

In his beloved yellow taxi, Abu Ayman zigzags through the streets of Syria's capital Damascus, delighted that the security checkpoints that choked the streets for years have been removed.