Preserving the future

Turkey is the youngest country in Europe. The average age of its population is below 30.

It is also the most ancient. An invaluable cultural heritage is concentrated there.

Try now to imagine all this heritage covered by water.

This is what happened to Allianoi, an archaeological site from the Roman era flooded last year by the construction of an irrigation dam.

Archaeologist Ahmet Yaras tried for years to save the site. A handful of intrepid diggers, from different cities and different backgrounds, came all the way to Allianoi to support him.

My report for euronews and more (in 11 languages, Turkish included) on Generation Y

Turkish history books discriminating Armenians may be revised

http://pn.am/mobile/eng/news/86884/

posted from Bloggeroid

Turkey rehabilitates poet Hikmet

From Bbc.co.uk:

Turkey says it is to restore the citizenship of one of its most illustrious poets and playwrights.

Nazim Hikmet was stripped of his citizenship for his Marxist beliefs in the 1950s after he fled the country, having spent years in Turkish prisons.

Hikmet, who died in exile in Moscow in 1963, revolutionised Turkish poetry during the 1930s and has had his work translated into some 50 languages.

Deputy PM Cemil Cicek said it was time for the government to change its mind.

"The crimes which forced the government to strip him of his citizenship at that time are no longer considered a crime," he said.

Read the full story

Japan Sings Turkish National Anthem to Celebrate Pangea Day

From GroundReport:

Leading film-makers are seeking to change the way we think about other countries. This is one of a powerful series of films to be shown on Pangea Day, May 10, "the day the world comes together through film".

See all four anthems. Then visit http://www.pangeaday.org/ and register your screening for May 10. It's time to imagine a different world.

Here the Japanese troupe performs the Turkish national anthem.

The director chose the Turkish anthem because of the historical friendship between the two countries. In 1864, the frigate Ertuğrul was constructed in İstanbul. The government sent the Ertugrul with Commander Pasha and his crew to Japan. The voyage turned out to be fatal; except for 69 survivors, the Pacific Ocean claimed the lives of Pasha and his men. Deeply saddened by the tragic event, the Japanese Government helped the few survivors return to Istanbul, bringing with them the condolences of the Japanese Government. The historic event of the Ertugrul tragedy was memorialized in Oshima as a mark of friendship of the Japanese people for Turkey.

‘No concrete evidence’ that Turkey used missing in tests

According to news reports appearing in the South, the Head of the International Strategic Studies Association (ISSA), Gregory Copley had previously reported that Turkey had used Greek Cypriot prisoners captured in 1974 as guinea pigs for chemical weapons experiments, he said yesterday that he had “no concrete evidence” that such allegations were true. He refused to withdraw the claims that allegations existed but none of the allegations had been confirmed. These unsupported allegations are apparently being taken seriously by Greek Cypriot officials, and prompted Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs Lillikas to say on Monday he would be opening an enquiry into their validity.

Full article (Observer Cyprus)