Galata

Tens of thousands of people on Jan. 1 gathered at a massive rally in Istanbul to commemorate the Turkish soldiers killed in a terrorist attack in Iraq and to show solidarity with Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

As the threat of an impending earthquake of magnitude 7 or above looms over Istanbul and with authorities expediting works to make the city earthquake resistant, the iconic Galata Bridge in Istanbul has been closed to traffic for about 40 days to conduct structural strengthening works.

A Turkish cargo vessel that Italian special forces boarded after the crew detected a group of unidentified people on board is now sitting off the southern city of Naples, website MarineTraffic showed, while police continue to investigate the situation.

"Everything ended well," Italian minister Guido Crosetto wrote on Twitter.

A new exhibition, "Into the Unknown," organized by SALT Beyoğlu and SALT Galata in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, explores art's ability to disrupt established historical and cultural narratives in a post-1989 world.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has inaugurated the Beyoğlu and Başkent Culture Road Festival in Istanbul during its launch ceremonies in Istanbul and Ankara on the weekend.

The event in Istanbul opened with a photomarathon event joined by 1,500 photographers.

Excavation work at a construction site in İstanbul's Beyoğlu district has brought to light an Ottoman-era bath.

In a series of events, Turkey's Jewish community, which is mostly concentrated in Istanbul, promoted their culture and heritage yesterday as part of the European Days of Jewish Culture.

A 250-year-old inn, located in the Galata neighborhood of Istanbul's Beyoğlu district, which once hosted the headquarter of the Ottoman Bank, will be restored due to a protocol signed between the metropolitan municipality and the Bahçeşehir Uğur Education Foundation.

The St. Pierre Inn will be converted into a cultural and arts center after the restoration.

A group of television producers from the United States will bring to the screen the lives of Jews who were welcomed by the Ottoman Empire following their expulsion from Spain in the 14th century.

The Istanbul governor has ordered to move a CCTV camera pole placed in front of the Galata Tower to another location following complaints from tourists as it stands as an obstacle for people trying to take their photos with the 14th-century structure.