Archaeological activities carried out by Turkish and foreign excavation teams and museum directorates across Türkiye in 2022 brought in some 10,500 new artifacts to the country’s museums.

With the permission and supervision of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, different excavation activities were carried out last year, both by Turkish and foreign delegations to reveal the past cultural heritage.

A total of 249 archaeological excavations were carried out, with 160 of them being performed by Turkish scientific delegations, 32 by foreign scientific delegations and 57 by museum directorates.

In addition to the exploration of the cultural assets on land, excavation and research activities continued in the underwater areas and shipwrecks that must be protected within the scope of the law. In this context, seven excavations and three research studies were carried out underwater last year.

A total of 713 archaeological projects were realized in 2022 through archaeological surveys, geophysical and geo-radar research and restoration work. With the work done, approximately 10,500 works were brought to the museums.

For the purpose of the archaeological excavations, a direct allocation of TL 95 million ($5.05 million) was provided by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, the Presidency of the Turkish Historical Society, the Central Directorate of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Revolving Funds. This figure exceeded TL 240 million with the support appointed for the expert personnel working on yearlong excavations, restorations, conservations and landscaping works.

Yahya Coşkun, deputy director general of Cultural Heritage and Museums, in his statement to Anadolu Agency (AA) stated that 20 archaeological excavations in 2019 were included in the scope of their work, continuing throughout the year. This figure stood at 42 in 2020, 65 in 2021 and 16 last year, hence totaling 143 excavations that continued through the past year.

Coşkun, who noted that they attach great importance to the sharing of findings related to human history, said that the International Excavation, Research and Archeometry Symposium – which has been held uninterruptedly since 1979 but had a short break due to the COVID-19 outbreak – was held last year in Denizli. He also touched upon the restoration of the theater in the ancient city of Laodikeia in the same city, highlighting it has been hosting new cultural events since May 2022.

Emphasizing the overall importance attached to projects relating to cultural heritage, Çoşkun said they also pay special attention to underwater excavations. He explained they organized special certified training for the expert personnel in coastal museums to gain diving skills.

He also stated that 92 undergraduate students were provided with Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBITAK) scholarships within the scope of the Neolithic Age Research Project being carried out in sites at Göbeklitepe-Karahantepe, Sefertepe, Gürcütepe, Sayburç, Çakmak Tepe, Harbetsuvan and Biris Cemetery/Söğüt.

Providing information on the goals relating to this year's archaeological activities, Coşkun said: "We expect archaeological activities to reach 750 in number this year. Planning and evaluations regarding field studies are continuing. We plan to directly transfer a total of TL 200 million to the excavations."

He also hinted at the organization of the international symposium "World Neolithic Congress," with the participation of about 1,500 people, likely to be held in Şanlıurfa – selected as the 2023 tourism capital of Islamic countries.