Kars

The number of COVID-19 cases in the northeastern province of Kars, which had been among cities where coronavirus cases are seen the least, has increased five times after a dinner feast held by a person discharged from hospital and an engagement ceremony two weeks ago.

The numbers of birds in Asboğa Lake in the northeastern province of Kars have increased following heavy rains in the region and the arrival of the spring, according to a biologist.

Emrah Çoban, a science coordinator at KuzeyDoğa Association in Kars, said that this spring's first bird count is completed.

A baker in the eastern province of Kars sold a 2.20-meter pita, with "Stay at Home Turkey" written on top of it using poppy and black seed prepared for the holy month of Ramadan.

Bakery owner Mustafa Kaya, who made the Ramadan pita with a dough weighing about 14 kilograms, said that he prepared such a thing in order to raise awareness to coronavirus measures.

A farmer known as the "laughing man," who has uncontrollable laughing fits, has drawn the attention of psychiatrists in the northeastern province of Kars.

Kasım Can, 48, recalls having had these fits of loud laughs since birth, but never remembers having cried. He said that he laughed even when his father died. Psychiatrists believe a trauma may underlie in his laughs.

The Turkish railways have posted record figures in freight and passenger transportation for 2019, the country's transport minister said.

The total passenger numbers through Turkey's railways reached 149.8 million, said Cahit Turhan on Feb. 25.

The number of passengers travelled through high-speed trains grew 2 percent year-on-year to 8.3 million in 2019, he said.

A delegation of EU ambassadors to Turkey was impressed by an archaeological site in Turkey's northeastern Kars province, Ani, also known as "the world city" or "cradle of civilizations".

According to the UNESCO website, Ani, which is next to Turkey's closed border with Armenia, was the capital of medieval Armenian kingdom of the Bagratides in the 10th century.

As frigid cold temperatures spread across Turkey's eastern provinces, people test the weather by throwing boiling water in the air in Kars province.

With the snowfall, Lake Aygır in eastern Kars province reveals scenes of incredible natural beauty. (AA Photo)

The only migratory brown bears in the world live in the Sarıkamış district of the eastern province of Kars. Before hibernation every year they travel long distances, walking to Artvin in the north in order to find food. This year, they have already returned to their nests in the Sarıkamış forest to go on a months-long sleep.

A touristic version of the Eastern Express, a scenic train service that links the capital Ankara with the eastern province of Kars, will debut on May 29 with an official ceremony attended by Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Cahit Turan and Culture Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.