Şile

Turkish underwater defence forces detonated more than 20 artillery shells on Turkey's Black Sea coast on Wednesday, after they were discovered lying in the sea near an Istanbul beach, state-run Anadolu agency reported.

Some 28 unexploded artillery shells have been detected in the Black Sea, off Istanbul's northern district of Şile, the provincial governor's office has announced.

A man swimming at a beach in Şile noticed some metal objects in the sea and reported the situation to the gendarmerie.

Istanbul has recorded the highest temperatures in 23 years, with 44.1 degrees on July 26, as the firefighting crews continue to battle massive wildfires in several parts of the country, including a four-day-long one in the southern province of Antalya's Kemer district.

With air pollution in Istanbul increasing by 9 percent compared to the previous years, Kadıköy's Göztepe neighborhood experienced the highest level of air pollution last year, according to the air quality data collected by the Istanbul Municipality.

Air in Istanbul became more polluted this year after most of the measures that kept people at home and restricted the use of cars were scrapped.

A red kite, a medium-sized bird of prey that is rare in Turkish, was spotted in Istanbul.

The bird from the accipitridae family, also known as the hawk or vulture family, was sighted by a birdwatcher near a solid waste disposal site in the Sile district.

The prices of the real estate properties in Princes' Islands jumped by some 51.95 percent in a year, making it to the top of the "Istanbul's most valuable districts" list, an expert has said.

The Şile district on the Asian side of the metropolis is a runner-up with an increase of 51.83 percent, while the Sarıyer district on the European side is third on the list with 36.97 percent.

Taking advantage of measures against the coronavirus outbreak, treasure hunters have destroyed a historical building, which is believed to be a Byzantine-era cistern, in Istanbul's Şile district.

The controversial restoration of the “SpongeBob” castle, a 2,000-year-old castle in Istanbul’s Şile district, has rekindled debate on Turkey’s failure to protect its historic and cultural heritage sites. Click through to see 13 heritage sites across Turkey, destroyed due to erroneous restorations.