Welcome to our pick of last week’s news from Fethiye and around Turkey.
NEWS
Construction on Lake Salda beach sparks public outrage
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Construction works on the beach of the famous Lake Salda, which has been reputed as “Turkey’s Maldives” due to its white sand and clear water, have sparked public outrage, prompting action from the government.
The lake is closed to visitors due to the coronavirus outbreak and the company who won the tender for the construction of a public garden, used the closure to carry out work to avoid public reaction, using its heavy machinery on the beach, damaging the sand.
Legal complaints have been filed for the cancelation of both the tender and the development plans for the lake, one of the two places where oxygen-producing single-cell cyanobacteria still live in the world.
Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum said that steps would be taken to ensure such breached were not repeated, noting that all work done during the construction phase will be on record and those who wish can watch the construction works on the official website of the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ).
Meanwhile, TOKİ Chairman Ömer Bulut dismissed both the consultancy firm supervising the construction and the head of the relevant department, branch manager and expert.
The contractor firm has also been fined for not adhering to the standards set for the preservation of the lake, TOKİ said in a statement.
Lake Salda was declared first and second degree “Natural Protected Area” in 1989 and a “Special Environmental Protection Area” in 2019.
Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Turkish police seize 3,000 liters of bootleg ethyl alcohol
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Turkish police seized 3,000 liters of bootleg ethyl alcohol on Thursday in an operation in the southern Adana province. 3,000 liters of ethyl alcohol hidden inside water tanks was confiscated.
Since Turkey’s Scientific Board listed kolonya, with over 60 per cent ethyl alcohol base, as an official preventive measure against Covid-19, suppliers have been out of stock and century-old kolonya brands have been working around the clock to meet growing demand at home and abroad.
Production depends on supplies of ethyl alcohol, leading to more supplies of bootleg ethyl alcohol from underground producers.
Source:aa.com.tr
Turkey adds two more sites to temporary UNESCO Heritage list
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Turkey’s historical Kemeraltı Bazaar and its surrounding area has been added to the temporary UNESCO World Heritage List.
The vibrant bazaar in the Aegean city of Izmir dates back to the 17th century, stretches from Konak Square through to the ancient Agora and is home to shops, eateries, artisans’ workshops, mosques, coffeehouses, tea gardens and synagogues.
“This is the start of a new era. We have three years to enter the permanent list of UNESCO,” said Uğur Yüce, a member of the body responsible for the upkeep of the area.
Turkey plans to add the bazaar at UNESCO’s permanent list in three years, Yüce said.
“This process will add a lot to both this area and Izmir,” he added.
Koramaz Valley added to UNESCO list
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Koramaz Valley, famous for its historical, cultural and natural assets in Melikgazi district of Kayseri, was also added to the UNESCO Temporary World Heritage List.
The valley sits at an altitude ranging from 250 meters to 1,500 meters, about 12 kilometers away from the city center.
Archaeologists, cave researchers, art historians, and many other related studies have made this unique valley a candidate for UNESCO.
Historic Beypazari district enters UNESCO list
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Ankara’s historic Beypazarı district also entered the tentative list of UNESCO with its thousands of years old history on Friday.
Beypazarı has been a settlement since ancient times and holds symbols of ancient traditions with rich historical and natural resources, according to UNESCO.
A popular travel destination close to Turkey’s capital Ankara, the district attracts visitors with its well-preserved old Ottoman houses, diverse local food, and natural sources. Read more here…
Sources: mbsnews/aa.com.tr
Turkey’s newest hotel ‘floats’ above ancient archaeological ruins
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An extraordinary new luxury hotel opened in Antakya, Turkey, earlier this year and it is at once an engineering marvel, an architectural beauty and a world-class archaeological site.
Like hotels around the world, Museum Hotel Antakya is temporarily closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s accepting bookings from June onward and is definitely one to chalk up for future travel plans.
Ten years in the making, the modern 200-room hotel “floats” on steel columns above the Necmi Asfuroğlu Archaeology Museum, which contains around 35,000 artifacts dating back to the third century BCE from 13 civilizations.
Read more here: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/museum-hotel-antakya-turkey-scn/index.html
One World: Together At Home
In collaboration with Lady Gaga, Global Citizen and the World Health Organization, more than 70 musical artists and dozens of celebrities banded together to celebrate and support healthcare workers fighting against the coronavirus pandemic. The virtual 2-hour broadcast aired at 18:00 (GMT) on Saturday 18 April 2020.
This historic global event has raised over 50 million dollars for the World Health Organisation’s Solidarity Response Fund.
If you missed it, you can watch it here…
SPORT
Thank you to Brian Lloyd for the Fethiyespor updates
Fethiyespor
Fethiyespor continue to train from their homes and stay in contact as a team. Happy Birthday to two players who celebrated birthdays last week.
Goalkeeper Serkan Demirol celebrated his 31st birthday on Monday 13 April.
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Centre-Forward Muhammet Yilmaz celebrated his 29th birthday on Wednesday 15 April.
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Lokman Hekim Fethiye Belediyespor Basketbol
Thank you to Pauline Yılmaz for the Lokman Hekim Fethiyespor Basketbol update.
The Turkish Basketball Federation suspended all TBL matches from 19th March and are expected to make a further announcement at the end of April regarding the 2019-2020 Basketball Season.
Prior to the suspension, the Teams completed week 24 of the TBL matches.
Lokman Hekim Fethiye Belediyespor have won 19 of their 24 matches and are currently in second place in the League Table, behind Petkim Spor on average.
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The American players from the Fethiye Team have returned to the USA. Some of the Turkish players have returned to their home cities to be with their families but many have remained in Fethiye. Despite the postponement of all matches at the current time the Lokman Hekim Fethiye Belediyespor players are continuing to train at their homes with the guidance of the Team’s Fitness Coach.
You can follow the Team on their Facebook Page – Lokman Hekim Fethiye Belediyespor Basketbol
Turkish Lira (TL) exchange rates
The British Pound bought 8.67 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 8.33 TL.
The US Dollar bought 6.93 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 6.69 TL.
The Euro bought 7.53 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 7.32TL.
Source: FxexchangeRate.com
Weather Forecast
Here’s your weather forecast for the week ahead.
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Source: Living Earth
Today’s featured image was taken by Steve Parsley.
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The post Fethiye Times News – Week Ending 19 April 2020 appeared first on Fethiye Times.