Beyoğlu

Works at the Kabataş metro station have unearthed archaeological remains in the area. Archaeologist Mehmet Ali Polat said that they will highly likely find a small ancient harbor as works progress.

Gezi Park is one of over 1,000 properties that the Directorate General of Foundations has taken over within the last few years, but undoubtedly the most symbolic one for Erdogan alongside Istanbul's landmark Hagia Sophia.

A full moon was observed over the Galata Tower in Istanbul on March 27. (AA Photo)

A full moon was observed over the Galata Tower in Istanbul on March 27. (AA Photo)

Turkey has transferred ownership of Istanbul's Gezi Park, the focus of anti-government protests in 2013, from municipal to national ownership, drawing criticism from local authorities who said they would challenge the decision.

The construction of the new Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM), a prominent symbol of Istanbul, is in its last phase as the first acoustic testing of the center's main stage has been successfully carried out, according to daily Hürriyet.

A geologist from Istanbul Technical University has claimed that fossils on some 145-million-year-old stones used at the base of the Republic Monument, a notable monument located at Istanbul's Taksim Square, have come to the surface.

"When you look at the monument, you can see fossils clearly," Serkan Angı, who is also a natural stone specialist, told daily Hürriyet on March 15.

Istanbul's major renovation project Galataport will be operational as of April, said the Turkish president on Feb. 26. 

"Galataport is a worldwide project with the potential of drawing 25 million visitors, 7 million tourists, and 1.5 million cruise passengers," said Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the inauguration of a historical movie theater and cinema museum. 

Within the scope of a restoration project, a historical theater in Istanbul, along with a cinema museum, opened its doors on Feb. 26 at a ceremony in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and many prominent figures from the culture and art world.

Kudret Cetinkaya, a 21-year-old student in Istanbul, experienced brutal intervention by the Turkish police against this week's mass student protests in Istanbul.