★ According to Reuters, President-elect Donald Trump stated that Turkey will "hold the key" to the future of Syria, where Turkey-backed rebels overthrew the government of Bashar al-Assad earlier this month.

  Trump praised what he described as Turkey's "major military force" that he said "has not been worn out with war."

  By supporting the rebels, "Turkey did an unfriendly takeover without a lot of lives being lost," Trump told a press conference at his residence in Palm Beach, Florida.

  "Right now, Syria has a lot of, you know, there's a lot of indefinites ... I think Turkey is going to hold the key to Syria," Trump said.

  Read the details >> here <<

★ On Friday, In an interview with FRANCE 24 in the Turkish capital Ankara, Hakan Fidan, Turkey's Foreign Affairs Minister, discussed his country's position in the wake of the ouster of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.

  Mr. Fidan claimed that Turkey played no role in the Syrian rebel group HTS's ouster of the Assad regime. He also said Turkey's interests are with the Syrian people and that Ankara does not support foreign troops remaining in Syria, be they Russian or American soldiers.

  Hear the full interview >> here <<

★ According to an analysis by Stratfor, an American strategic intelligence publishing company, Turkey will likely promote the formation of a stable, pro-Turkey provisional government in Syria following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

  Turkey will also push Syria's new leaders to prevent Kurdish autonomy, promote Turkish business interests, and facilitate the return of Syrian refugees, which will risk heightening tensions with Israel in the long term.

  Read the details >> here <<

★ According to Voice of America, the future is uncertain for Syria's Kurds amid a potential Turkish offensive.

  However, two U.S. senators threatened sanctions against Turkey if it rejects the Syria ceasefire proposal between Turkey and the Kurds.

  Read the details >> here <<

  Voice of America also reported that the SDF, the armed forces of Syrians mainly made up of Kurds, does not deny its connections to the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party but has said it will not engage in terror attacks on Turkish soil. >> here <<

★ According to the Turkish daily Duvar's news dated December 17, in the investigation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office involving jailed Republican People's Party mayor Ahmet Özer, authorities arrested eleven individuals on charges of "membership in the Kurdistan Workers' Party terrorist organization" over their past phone calls with the mayor.

  Among those arrested were his former student, who sold Özer pepper paste, and a graphic designer who had created a book cover for him.

  During the recent crackdown by the ruling Justice and Development Party administration on opposition mayors, authorities removed the main opposition Republican People's Party's Özer from office and replaced him with a government-appointed trustee.

  Read the details >> here <<

★ According to a recent survey by the Spectrum House, people saw President Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party as most capable of addressing the Kurdish issue, reports the online news outlet Bianet.

  While most Turks believe the root cause of the Kurdish issue is Kurds' aspirations for a separate state, Kurds participating in the survey say it is the denial of their identity.

  The study, "Perceptions and Political Tendencies on the Kurdish Issue," surveyed 2,028 participants across 27 provinces, including those with predominantly Kurdish populations, between November 25 and December 3.

  Among the participants, 71.6% identified as "Turk," 20.8% as "Kurd," and 7.6% as "other."

  When asked about the significance of the Kurdish issue, 59.3% of respondents deemed it a significant problem for Turkey, with 25.6% labeling it "very important." Conversely, 40% considered it unimportant.

  Additionally, 52.4% of the respondents said they believe that the Kurdish issue can be resolved peacefully, while 29.4% said they do not believe that.

★ ECONOMY

★ According to the Turkish daily Duvar, after the collapse of the regime in Syria, the Syrians stopped accepting the currency used by the Assad administration, rendering it unusable.

  Syrians, who have been conducting trade in Turkish lira in areas controlled by Turkey, are now expanding this practice from Aleppo to Damascus following Assad's downfall.

  Turkish professor Sefer Şener from Istanbul University's Economics Department stated that while the using the Turkish Lira in Syria is temporary, it could still be beneficial. He added, "The Turkish lira is among the valid currencies in Syria and can be used anywhere in the world."

★ According to the Turkish news outlet Bianet, experts determined that the explosion at a pasta factory in Turkey's northwestern district of Hendek in the Sakarya province was due to grain dust accumulation.

  The experts said the root cause was regulatory noncompliance and neglect of occupational safety measures.

  The primary person responsible was Mehmet Musa Özgüçlü, Chairman of the Board of Oba Makarna, due to violations of employer obligations.

  As we reported to you two months ago, the explosion killed five people.

★ Tim Brinkhof of the ArtNet wrote about a new photo show on James Baldwin's little-known time in Turkey.

  Here is a summary of his article:

  James Baldwin, an African-American writer and civil rights activist, moved to Istanbul to seek refuge. An exhibition at the Brooklyn Public Library documents his time abroad.

  According to Atesh M. Gundogdu, publishing editor of Artspeak NYC, leisure or curiosity did not drive Baldwin's sojourn so much as the "need for a refuge—both from the racial tensions in the United States and the pressures of the time.

  As a Black gay man, Baldwin did not feel at home in his own country, but in Istanbul, a cultural melting pot ruled by a secular government at that time, he could be himself.

  "Turkey," he later declared, "saved my life!"

  Gundogdu is not just an editor. He is also the co-curator for "Turkey Saved My Life–Baldwin in Istanbul, 1961–1971," a new exhibition at the Brooklyn Public Library's Grand Lobby.

★ Tim Brinkhof also wrote about focaccia bread in the ArtNet.

  Here is a summary:

  "Nowadays, we tend to think of focaccia bread as a quintessential part of Italian cuisine, right next to various pasta and pizza dishes.

  " But while this crunchy, oily, garlicky bread has sustained people on the Apennine Peninsula for centuries, dating back to the founding of Rome, its true origins go back even further.

  "To between 7,000 and 5,000 BCE, to be exact. That's the age attributed to clay husking trays discovered near Mazraa, Teleilat, Akarçay Tepe, and Tell Sabi Abyad—in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East, where archaeologists think the human civilization has originated. According to a new study published in Scientific Reports, they were originally used to (you guessed it) bake focaccia."

  Akarçay Tepe, one of the discovery sites Brinkof mentions, is in Turkey.

★ According to the online site gatecheck.com, Turkish Airlines set a new world record for most countries flown to buy an airline, according to Guinness World Records.

  During the September 2023-September 2024 period, Turkish Airlines flew to 120 countries. According to the online site simpleflying.com, on December 18, Turkish Airlines began its new third-longest route. It is from Istanbul to San Diego to Chile via São Paulo.

  In March, it started flying to Melbourne (via Singapore), followed by the launch of Sydney flights (via Kuala Lumpur) in November.

★ According to the magazine ArtDog Istanbul, Istanbul Modern, Turkey's first modern and contemporary art museum, marked its 20th anniversary on December 11, 2024, celebrating two decades of success with 10 million visitors and over 1 million children and young adults benefiting from free art education.

  In its first 20 years, Istanbul Modern organized nine collection exhibitions, 84 temporary shows, and 45 photography exhibitions, with 17 held internationally.

  Also, the museum hosted 3,500 events and screened nearly 4,000 films through Istanbul Modern Cinema. In 2024 alone, the museum welcomed a record-breaking 1 million visitors.

★ Debuting at Ozgoren Gallery of Istanbul, Turkish artist Sine İçli invites audiences on an evocative exploration of the feminine psyche, inspired by the ancient Sumerian myth of Inanna's descent into the underworld, reports the ArtDog Istanbul magazine.

  The exhibition features a meditative interplay of clay works and intricate drawings, forming imagined transformation maps.

  The exhibition will be through January 18, 2025.

★ More than 280 restaurants received toques at the Gault & Millau Turkey 2025 Guide Awards night.

  In addition to Antalya, Balıkesir, Çanakkale, Gaziantep, İstanbul, İzmir, Muğla (Bodrum/Fethiye), and Nevşehir, the evaluation also included Ankara.

  Gault & Millau is a gastronomy and hospitality guide that provides independent restaurant reviews and highlights talented chefs and restaurants.

★ The FOMA (Food Marketing Awards) awards, organized by the gastronomy marketing agency Dude Table, were presented to their winners at a ceremony.

  In a ceremony hosted by Dotshub, The FOMA awards, which evaluates successful projects in gastronomy marketing, brought together leading names in the food and beverage sector in Turkey,

  The jury gave 66 awards in four main categories and sub-branches at the night.

  Two of the awards were in the categories of Restaurant with the Highest Customer Satisfaction: "Fine Dine" and "Casual Dine". The jury determined the winners after detailed measurements by Kantar Insights, a business partner of Dude Table.

  Fine Dine: The gold award went to Lokanta Feriye, while Restaurant 29 received the silver award and the restaurant Purple the bronze award.

  Casual Dine: Ali Ocakbaşı received gold, BigChefs received silver, and Nalia Black Sea Kitchen received the bronze award.

★ The "Colors of the Earth" Exhibition, prepared by Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts Publishing and realized with the contributions of Yapı Kredi Step, will meet art lovers at Yapı Kredi Bomontiada until February 12, 2025.

  "Colors of the Earth" accompanies the "States of the Earth" exhibition ongoing at Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts. It Brings together 27 works, including works produced by five farmers and five designers inspired by nature in five colors.

  The designers bring the designs they produced specifically for the "Colors of the Earth" exhibition with the audience.

  For the exhibition, participants used fabric dies made from agricultural waste and sketches depicting the design process drawn with natural inks.

  "Colors of the Earth" shares a common theme with the "States of the Earth" exhibition, which believes that every living thing has equal importance and transforms this into action rather than rhetoric.

★ Once again, Istanbul State Opera and Ballet will bring together the Nutcracker ballet, the last work of Russian composer Chaikovski.

  The ballet is about the dreams of little German girl Clara Stahlbaum about the nutcracker toy she received as a New Year's gift.

  The Nutcracker ballet will be at Istanbul's Atatürk Cultural Center, with performances in December and January.

★ On December 17, another event at Istanbul's Atatürk Culture Center honoring the late legendary flamenco master Paco de Lucia.

  For the occasion, the Barcelona Guitar Trio and Dance Group performed.

★ According to the website turkiyetoday.com, during excavations in the theater area of the Roman city of Pompeiopolis, archaeologists found two fragments of statues depicting Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.

  In 64 BCE, Pompeiopolis was the capital of the Paflagonia region. It is now in the Taskopru district in the northern Anatolian Kastamonu province of modern-day Turkey.

  Scholars compare Pompeiopolis to other renowned ancient sites in Turkey, such as Ephesus and Zeugma.

  Dr. Mevlut Eliüşük, a professor at the Karabük University and the leader of the excavations, said the excavations in the theater area are ongoing. He said georadar studies also identified an odeon, a structure used for musical performances.

★ Dr. Yilmaz Selim Erdal, a Turkish anthropologist and a professor at the Hacettepe University in the Turkish capital Ankara, interpreted the ancient skeletons and bones found at the Iznik (Nicaea) Roman Theatre in, Bursa, Turkey.

  The excavations, which began in the 1980s under the direction of Dr. Bedri Yalman, have uncovered traces of burial practices and violent confrontations.

  When archaeologists started working on the Roman theater, they ran across several centuries of human remains. Some of the remains showed signs of violence. Many individuals had wounds from swords and spears in their skulls and faces.

  According to Dr. Erdal, the Crusaders, possibly the ones participating in the first Crusade, inflicted the wounds. The Crusaders attacked the locals, impaled and even cannibalized them. He adds that historical accounts from the era corroborate the maltreatment of people in the area.

  See an article on the siege of Nicaea >> here <<