Turkey's Council of Ministers has finally given permission for long-awaited excavations at Yoros castle, located in Anadolu Kavağı on Istanbul’s Asian side. An expert team from Istanbul University has started excavations under the leadership of Byzantium art history expert Professor Asnu Bilban Yalçın.
But a few days before the excavations started, a sad event happened: A huge Byzantium emblem on the outer façade of the castle was removed and stolen. Yalçın said that she was very sorry about the theft.
She said that the area surrounding the castle currently served as a picnic area and its inside was used as a toilet, adding that they had been forced to do detailed cleaning work before the excavations. Yalçın said that Turkish tourists sometimes reacted negatively to the excavation team. “They are not even aware of the historic importance of this place. They tell us that we’ve occupied their picnic area,” she added.
Click here to read the article from the Hurriyet Daily News