Ufuk

Türkiye's famous "mesir paste," a traditional delicacy from the western province of Manisa, has officially been granted European Union geographical indication status, marking a significant step in protecting and promoting the region's culinary heritage.

The conservation process of the Yenikapı shipwrecks, discovered during the Marmaray project and considered the world's largest collection of ancient ships, has stopped due to the lack of a museum or a warehouse, says the head of the Yenikapı Shipwrecks Excavation and Conservation Project.

Around 17 million people among Turkey's population of 83 million still smoke despite years-long efforts to discourage people from smoking, an expert said on National No-Smoking Day on Feb. 9.

But Murat Ağırtaş, the provincial health director of the Central Anatolian province of Kırıkkale, said Turkey dropped in the ranking of a list of heavy-smoker countries.

The DJ of the nightclub attacked by an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militant in Istanbul's Ortaköy district has described horrific scenes inside the building, saying they hid in the DJ cabin for an hour during and after the attack, which claimed a total of 39 lives. 

The 30th International ?zmir Festival will be organized between May 17 and June 25 this year with 10 concerts, three of which will be open to the public, at venues including the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Arts Center, the ?zmir State Theater Konak Stage, the Library of Celsius, the Kültürpark Open Air Theater and the Ephesus Ancient Theater.