30 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Turkey Adds New Sites to UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List

Two additional cultural objects have been added to Turkey’s World Heritage Tentative List, bringing the total number of cultural assets on the list to 85. The late antique and medieval churches and monasteries of Midyat and the surrounding region (Tur Abdin) in southeastern Mardin province, as well as the historical town of Kemaliye (Eğin) in eastern Erzincan province, were recently added to the list.

Turkey had 83 assets on the list in 2020.

The Kemaliye district, situated on the Silk Road and caravan roads, is notable for its distinct urban texture, architecture, and initial settlements. The Euphrates had an impact on the region’s design space and architecture, and settlements were built in response.

Karanlık (Dark) Canyon, which is about 35 kilometers (21.75 miles) long, is a part of the Kemaliye settlement. Dark Canyon is one of the top five deepest canyons in the world, with a height difference of up to 1000 meters (3280.84 feet) between the river’s mouth and the valley’s floor. According to the UNESCO website, remnants of the Turkish population were also be found 4 to 5 kilometers northwest of Kemaliye in the Dilli Valley. Photometric scans and ethnographic techniques were used to collect evidence from petroglyphs and carvings in the valley, resulting in considerable information about Turkish culture’s past.

The Tur Abdin (meaning “the Mountain of the Servants of God” in Syriac)
The Tur Abdin (meaning “the Mountain of the Servants of God” in Syriac)

The Tur Abdin (meaning “the Mountain of the Servants of God” in Syriac) area, which contains early examples of monastic architecture, witnesses the appearance of a modern and distinct architectural language that has been synonymous with the Syriac Orthodox community throughout history. Tur Abdin, a limestone plateau, has a distinct cultural landscape that includes nearly 80 villages and 70 monasteries from different eras.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



The Church of Mor Sobo, the Church of Yoldat Aloho, the Monastery of Deyrul Zafaran, the Monastery of Mor Gabriel, the Monasteries of Mor Abai near Qelleth, Mor Loozor near Habsenas, the Monastery of Mor Yakup at Salah, and the Churches of Mor Quryaqos at Urdnus and Mor Azozo el at Kfarze were chosen for nomination.

These structures, which share similar characteristics and dates from the sixth and eighth centuries, help to understand the character of the country as a whole. They are also a significant example of Turkey’s rich cultural history with various beliefs.

Related Articles

Intact Bodies of Catalan Nobles Discovered in Santes Creus Monastery

11 March 2024

11 March 2024

A team of archaeologists and anthropologists found the human remains of a dozen members of the Catalan nobility dating back...

Ukraine says Russian forces stole Scythian treasures from Melitopol Museum

11 May 2022

11 May 2022

Invading Russian troops have stolen items of ancient Scythian gold and other historical and cultural valuables that were stored in...

Peru finds perfectly preserved a wooden figure in the Americas’ largest mud-brick city

29 June 2022

29 June 2022

A perfectly preserved wooden figure has been discovered at the Chan Chan archaeological site, in northern Peru, the Ministry of...

“Unprecedented” Phoenician necropolis found in southern Spain

28 April 2022

28 April 2022

A 4th or 5th-century B.C Phoenician necropolis has been found at Osuna in Southern Spain. A well-preserved underground limestone vault...

An important discovery in Haltern: Mini temples and sacrificial pit discovered in Roman military encampment

16 November 2023

16 November 2023

Archaeologists from the Westphalia-Lippe Regional Association (LWL) have found remains of the foundations of two mini Roman temples and a...

Mystery in Speyer: 1,000-Year-Old Human Remains and Ancient Cloth Found in Abandoned Glass Case

23 October 2025

23 October 2025

A strange discovery in the German city of Speyer has left archaeologists and police puzzled. A glass display case containing...

A 1,100-year-old lead amulet of Bulgarian soldiers sieges Constantinople found

31 March 2023

31 March 2023

A lead plate amulet bearing an inscription in Cyrillic dating from the times of Tsar Simeon the Great was discovered...

Turkey’s Urartian Altıntepe Castle transforms into open museum

25 May 2022

25 May 2022

Altıntepe Castle, one of the most important centers of the Urartians and the Eastern Roman Empire, is now set to...

Europe’s earliest cities had a predominantly vegetarian diet

27 December 2023

27 December 2023

The population of the Copper Age mega-sites in what is now Ukraine and Moldova had a predominantly vegetarian diet. In...

The ancient city of Kastabala will soon have a colonnaded Street

4 September 2021

4 September 2021

The archaeological excavation of the ancient city of Kastabala in Osmaniye Province in southern Turkey continues. Kastabala-Hierapolis is one of...

Hoysala temples inch closer towards UNESCO recognition

7 February 2022

7 February 2022

The Indian Union government recently proposed the Somanathapura temple in Mysuru district and Chennakeshava and Hoysaleshwara temples in Belur and...

Hungarian Archaeology Student Discovers Rare Bronze Figurines at Roman-Era Brigetio Site

31 July 2025

31 July 2025

A remarkable archaeological discovery emerged this July at the ancient Roman site of Brigetio in Komárom, Hungary. First-year archaeology student...

Archaeologists Discovered Submerged Stoa Complex in Ancient Salamis, Greece

27 October 2023

27 October 2023

Archaeologists exploring the east coast of Salamis, the largest Greek island in the Saronic Gulf, discovered a large, long, and...

Human history in one click: Database with 2,400 prehistoric sites

10 August 2023

10 August 2023

The role of culture in human spread: Digital data collection contains 150 years of research. Human history in one click:...

La Tène-Era Woman’s Grave Filled with Opulent Bronze Jewelry Unearthed in the Czech Republic

3 September 2025

3 September 2025

Rescue excavations along the planned D7 highway, between the towns of Knovíz and Slaný, approximately 40 kilometers northwest of Prague,...