Diyarbakır

A farmer who grew a watermelon weighing 45.5 kilograms has won the 11th Watermelon Festival organized in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır, famous for its big and juicy watermelons.

"Due to drought, unfortunately, this year farmers could not grow bigger watermelons," Münir Karaloğlu, the governor of the province, said at the prize-giving ceremony on Sept. 22.

Archaeological teams in Turkey continue excavations in the Çayönü mound, a Neolithic settlement where traces of settled life and production are observed.

The excavations in Çayönü, in the southeastern Diyarbakır province, began in 1964, but they were halted in 1991 due to security reasons. The work has resumed in 2017 with a team led by Aslı Erim Özdoğan.

A total of 782 hand grenades dating back to the World War I era were found during archaeological excavations at the historical site in southeastern Turkey.

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They were found in Amida Mound, or Amida Höyük - known as the heart of Diyarbakır province - which is located in the historical Sur district.

A prominent Turkish artist has defended the much-debated sculptures and statues that mostly stand at the entrances of various provinces depicting things those provinces are known for, saying that they were "examples of Turkish pop art."

"I admire them very much," Gürkan Coşkun, also known as "Komet," tweeted on July 27.

Dağkapı, a medieval mountain gate, was reinstalled to the 8,000-year-old Walls of Diyarbakır on June 2 after its renovation.

The gate, which has a history of more than a thousand years, was meticulously repaired by specialists and installed to the wall with the same antique grandeur.

A medieval mountain gate known as Dağkapı will be placed on the 8,000-year-old Walls of Diyarbakır in Turkey with the same name after renovation and exhibited in a few days.

Dağkapı, which has a history of more than a thousand years has seen many years of the Diyarbakır Walls and has been meticulously repaired by specialists.

Turkey introduced a promotional program on June 27 for the "Mesopotamia" brand, which was created to promote the tourism potential of the southeastern Anatolia region to the world.

Speaking at the event, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said Turkey has the richest and most unique homeland in the world with its history, culture and geographical structure.

Turkey introduced a promotional program on June 27 for the "Mesopotamia" brand, which was created to promote the tourism potential of the southeastern Anatolia region to the world.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said Turkey has the richest and most unique homeland in the world with its history, culture and geographical structure.

Turkey foiled a terror attack that targeted Turkish Air Forces' 8th Air Base in southeastern province Diyarbakır, interior ministry sources said on May 19.

Two model planes used during the attempt were neutralized, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on Twitter. 

No casualties reported, noted.  

A statue of "boy in watermelon" erected by the Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality recently at the city's entrance caught the attention of social media users and has become a subject of online trolling.

Mocking the statue, people compared it to "Chucky," a killer doll character in a famous Hollywood horror movie.