Turkey wins awards for cultural heritage

LISBON - Anatolia News Agency

The Allianoi Initiative (R) and the Miletos İlyas Bey Complex won the Nostra Awards in two different categories.

Turkey won two prizes in the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards in Lisbon, Portugal. The Miletos İlyas Bey Complex won in the “conservation” category, while the Allianoi Initiative won an award in “dedicated service” category.

A total of 28 projects, selected from among 226 projects from 31 European countries, won awards in four categories: “Education, training and awareness-raising,” “Dedicated service,” “Research,” and “Conservation.”

The award ceremony was held in the Jeronimos Monastery in Portugal, which is included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List and where the EU’s new constitution was signed in 2007.

The ceremony was held in the presence of the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Androulla Vassiliou, the world-renowned tenor and President of Europa Nostra Placido Domingo, as well as many other figures, including Turkish Amabassador to Lisbon Ali Kaya Savut.

The architect of the Miletos İlyas Bey Complex, Cengiz Kabaoğlu, and the Allianoi Initiative spokesman Dr. Ahmet Yaraş were also at the ceremony to receive the awards.

Allianoi is an ancient spa settlement situated near Bergama in İzmir. It has been threatened by flooding from the Bergama Yortalı Dam since 1993. The Allianoi Initiative is group of environmentalists who banded together to keep up the legal fight against construction of the dam.

The Miletos Ilyas Bey Complex is located in the renowned archaeological site of Miletos, the present-day town of Balat, in the Aegean province of Aydın. The Complex consists of a mosque, a madrasah (school of higher education), and a double hamam with separate sections for men and for women, as well as several other structures.

The European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards highlight some of Europe’s best achievements in heritage care, and aim to showcase the most remarkable efforts made in raising awareness about the EU’s cultural heritage.