Sinkholes are rapidly appearing in Turkey’s central Anatolian farming region, particularly around Konya and Karapınar. These giant gaping holes in the ground in areas of farmland, known locally as obruk, are not random geological events. They are linked to prolonged drought, climate-driven heat stress, and heavy groundwater extraction for agriculture in one of the country’s most important breadbaskets. As rainfall declines and evaporation increases, natural aquifer recharge has slowed, while demand for irrigation water has surged. There are an estimated 700 new sink holes that have popped up this winter, according to Reuters.

Related: Explore Istanbul’s coolest neighborhood Balat

In Konya, large-scale farming relies heavily on groundwater wells. Farmers often respond to drought by pumping more water and overwatering crops, especially where irrigation remains inefficient or poorly regulated. When groundwater is withdrawn faster than it can be replenished, underground cavities lose pressure and stability. Over time, the land above can suddenly collapse, creating sinkholes that damage fields, roads, and infrastructure and threaten lives. Sinks holes have appeared in Iran, and also in Israel in the area of the Dead Sea. A giant sink hole collapsed an entire road in Bangkok, Thailand earlier this year.

Climate change has intensified drought through higher temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns, while decades of groundwater overuse for agriculture have compounded the damage. As in Turkey, farmers often drill deeper wells and irrigate more aggressively during dry years, accelerating aquifer depletion and land subsidence. Scientists warn that this cycle—drought followed by over-pumping—can permanently damage water systems and agricultural viability.

Related: learn more about Tunisia’s lagoons and hanging gardens for sustainable agriculture.

Across Turkey, the Dead Sea basin, and Iran, the lesson is consistent: groundwater is being treated as an endless emergency reserve. In reality, once aquifers are drained or destabilized, the land itself begins to fail. Sinkholes are not just geological curiosities; they are warning signs that climate change, drought, and overwatering are colliding with unsustainable farming practices.

Read more on resource overuse on Green Prophet:

Green Prophet: Turkey’s deadly sinkholes threaten agriculture and people

Green Prophet: Sinkholes and shrinking shores of the Dead Sea

Green Prophet: Land subsidence in Iran is a looming disaster

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This recipe actually brought water to my mouth even as I was reading it through. Then I cooked these spicy bulgur balls and set the platter on the table. The  family and guests simply snarfed it up; not a scrap left.  This bit of Turkish home cuisine is called Arap Koftesi, and I discovered it in Özlem’s Turkish Table.

One thing I particularly liked was the mention of lamb’s lettuce, a foraged green. No lamb’s lettuce growing conveniently nearby? The author offers spinach as an alternative. I expect more delicious recipes will immigrate from Turkey to my own kitchen via that cozy cookbook.

Don’t be intimidated by the length of the recipe. The method is easy, and author Özlem Warren says that the bulgur balls may be made ahead and frozen. 

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Could the biblical flood actually have happened and is Noah’s Ark still at the site where it rested on Mount Ararat? The legend of Noah’s Ark is one of the oldest and most enduring flood myths in human history. It appears in the Bible, the Quran, and earlier Mesopotamian texts, suggesting deep cultural and symbolic roots across civilizations.

In the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), God sees that humanity has become wicked and corrupt, and decides to cleanse the Earth with a great flood. But one man, Noah, is found righteous:

“Make yourself an ark of cypress wood… This is how you are to make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.” – Genesis 6:14–15

Researchers from California are investigating the mystery in the rugged terrain of eastern Turkey, a formation long shrouded in mystery is once again capturing global attention. The Durupınar site, a 160-meter-long, boat-shaped geological structure buried near Mount Ararat, is at the heart of renewed investigations by the California-based research group, Noah’s Ark Scans.

Their mission: to determine whether this enigmatic formation could be the remnants of the biblical Noah’s Ark.

The Durupınar formation’s dimensions strikingly mirror the biblical description of Noah’s Ark, as detailed in Genesis 6:15. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys have revealed internal features, including rectangular shapes and what appears to be a central chamber, located approximately 22 feet beneath the surface. These findings suggest the possibility of man-made structures within the formation.

Related: Meet the mountain people of the Middle East

Soil analyses have further intrigued researchers. Samples from within the formation exhibit lower pH levels and higher concentrations of organic matter and potassium compared to surrounding areas. Such characteristics are consistent with the decomposition of wooden materials, potentially indicating the presence of ancient timber.

Discovered in 1959 by Turkish Army Captain İlhan Durupınar, the site has been a focal point for both scientific inquiry and speculative theories. While some early studies dismissed the formation as a natural geological occurrence, others have posited that it could be the fossilized remains of Noah’s Ark.

The current research endeavors aim to apply modern scientific techniques to this age-old question. Sometimes archeologists wait until scientific tools can catch up with the questions –– to make sure they don’t harm what should be preserved.

Noah’s Ark Scans is proceeding with caution. “Excavations at the ‘boat site’ haven’t started yet because we first need more geophysical surveys, core drilling, and careful planning,” the team stated. “The location lies in an active earth flow with harsh winters, so protecting the area is our top priority”.

Collaborations with Turkish universities are underway to ensure that any future excavations are conducted responsibly and with respect for the site’s integrity.

Beyond its potential archaeological significance, the Durupınar site resonates deeply with themes of survival and renewal found in the story of Noah’s Ark. As researchers delve deeper into the formation’s secrets, they not only seek answers to a historical enigma but also engage with a narrative that as inspired countless generations.

::Noah’s Ark Scans

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These open, hand-held breads are really in a class of their own. You bite into a light, flexible crust that holds a spicy lamb filling. It’s so good. Take another bite or two. Before you know it, you’re already reaching for another one.

It’s an easy enough recipe, but it does require time and some exotic ingredients: tahini, pomegranate molasses, and sumac powder. All are available at Mediterranean grocery stores or online, and it’s worth buying and getting to know them. Tahini, or sesame seed paste, is a familiar condiment in Middle Eastern cuisine. (Discover 8 ways to eat tahini) Pomegranate molasses is a syrup of pomegranate juice that lends a slight sweet/sour taste to food. (Try our Almond Torte with Pomegranate Molasses.) I like to add a small amount of it to salad dressings. In meaty dishes such as this, it balances the earthiness of tahini and the bright flavors of the ground spices. Sumac imparts a sourish taste, like lemon, and an attractive red color.

When I first started eating these non-Western foods in Israel, I was startled by the presence of cinnamon in lamb dishes. But I soon realized how right it tastes. It sets off the slight gaminess of the meat and brings all the elements together.

Lahmacun, or lahmajoun are fun to eat folded over and out of hand, as a snack or finger food. If you prefer to make bigger pastries, they also make a satisfying meal.

Serve with a good mixed salad.

Photo of Lachmacun via Caroline’s Cooking

More fabulous Middle-Eastern dishes featuring lamb:

Lamb Kebabs Marinated in Pomegranate Molasses

Eat The Whole Animal: Lamb’s testicles and hog balls

The post Make Lahmacun, crispy Turkish flatbreads with meat appeared first on Green Prophet.

The October 7 attack was a shock and surprise to civilians and the Israeli military. But technology used for predicting earthquakes and seismic shocks can be used to detect future attacks, say researchers from Tel Aviv University. They have looked at the data leading up to the attack where Israel was breached, 1200 killed and 250 were kidnapped, and say that unusual activity can be sensed in seismic measurements taken at the time. Of course it’s retroactive data and conclusions but researchers reveal that on the morning of October 7th, approximately half an hour before the deadly terrorist assault, the stations recorded weak but widespread human-induced seismic noise.

The researchers attribute these anomalous seismic amplitudes to the unusual movement of heavy vehicles within the Gaza Strip heading toward organizational points along the Israeli border up to 20 minutes before the ground barrier breach

The researchers explain that forensic seismology is often used to monitor conventional and nuclear explosions. However, this is the first time in history that weak ground motions resulting from preparations for a terrorist attack have been identified by analyzing the characteristics of seismic noise induced by vehicular traffic.

They believe the discovery demonstrates the potential usage of seismic-based sensing technology to provide early warnings of terrorist activity.

Related: Sexual crimes reported by the UN on October 7

The study, led by Asaf Inbal of the Department of Geophysics at Tel Aviv University’s Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, was published in The Seismic Record, a journal of the Seismological Society of America.

Israel has seen catastrophic earthquakes over the centuries and much of this data was gleaned from church records that reported back to the Vatican over the years. Israel has been saying for the last 30 years that a large earthquake can be expected at any time. Turkey is seismically very active in the last 10 years but recent research suggests that the tectonic plates between Turkey and Dead Sea Rift are not or no longer connected.

Inbal explains the data they found around the attack on October 7: “The Israeli Geological Survey operates a nationwide network of dozens of highly sensitive seismometers that continuously monitor ground motions. This network is primarily designed to detect and locate earthquakes and provide warnings of strong ground shaking caused by large-magnitude seismic events.

“However, three stations in the network—located in Amazia, Ktsiot, and Yatir, between 30 and 50 kilometers from Gaza—recorded unusual seismic noise levels early in the morning of October 7th, 2023. This noise can be attributed with confidence to the vehicular activity in Gaza as Hamas terrorists gathered for the attack. The time frame was between 6:00 and 6:30 AM, before the rocket fire began.

“The likelihood that the recorded signals originated from Gaza is over 99.9%.

“The motions recorded near the seismometers were in the range of tens of nanometers per second, whereas the minimum ground motion detectable by humans is several millimeters per second,” explains Inbal. “The characteristics of the noise originating from Gaza and captured by the Israeli stations are fundamentally different from those recorded at the same stations on previous Saturdays during those hours.

“We analyzed three years of data from the Israeli station trio recorded in the same time frame as the one leading up to the attack. We found no instance of a Saturday morning when correlated amplitudes were recorded at all three stations for over 10 minutes. It’s important to note that these stations are widely spaced, with each station primarily sensitive to seismic noise generated by nearby human activity.

“For instance, the distance between Ktsiot and Amazia is about 80 kilometers, and on previous Saturdays, there was no correlation between the data recorded at these stations. On the morning of the attack, when local activity near the stations was minimal, we found unique widespread seismic amplitudes, which monotonically increased with time approaching the attack.

“No known natural or human source on the Israeli side could have generated seismic signals with a distribution and intensity similar to those attributed to Hamas movements. Although the outdoor music festival near Re’im generated some seismic noise, our analysis shows that this noise does not match the strength or location of the noise sources recorded by the Israeli seismic network on October 7th.”

The analysis indicates the seismic noise detected began at 6:00 AM and intensified as the attack approached. Occasionally, the noise contained short bursts strong enough to pinpoint their source and track their progress. The location and intensity of these sources in Gaza suggest vehicle movements advancing southward and northward within Gaza, from Rafah in the south to the Erez crossing in the north, during the 30 minutes leading up to the attack.

“We have good resolution along Salah al-Din Road, a major thoroughfare crossing Gaza from Rafah in the south to Beit Lahia in the north,” says Inbal. “We can confirm with high certainty that their forces moved along this route at speeds of 25 to 50 km/h. Observations from stations dozens of kilometers from Gaza’s border indicate convoys of heavy vehicles such as bulldozers and trucks carrying operatives.

“Three minutes before the attack began, we detected noise sources reaching the northern end of Gaza near Beit Lahia and the southern end near Khan Yunis. At the same time, we continued receiving signals from central Gaza, near Nuseirat. We know the assault began almost simultaneously along the entire border, so these seismic observations provide further evidence of the extensive deployment of Hamas forces, likely enabling the simultaneous breach of the ground barrier.”

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Earthquake energy can travel vast distances, shaking the ground far from its origin. This energy moves even more swiftly along tectonic plate boundaries and across their intersections. When powerful earthquakes struck along the East Anatolian Fault in February 2023, between Syria and Turkey, their impact was expected to extend along the Dead Sea Fault, from the Red Sea to Turkey, and affect its surrounding regions. These significant faults are well-known as intersecting plate boundaries.

Nonetheless, the anticipated strong earthquakes did not occur along the Dead Sea Fault.

While this may seem like an anomaly, researchers from the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Haifa and the Geological Survey of Israel claim that the initial perception was wrong, claiming that the plate boundaries are not connected.

“Our study shows that the strong earthquakes of the East Anatolian Fault were not channeled along the Dead Sea Fault since they are not tectonically connected, as most scientists assume. The seismic energy produced by the source is absorbed through small aftershocks in the intermediate regions – i.e., in Syria and Lebanon, but not preferably channeled along the Dead Sea Fault ” explained Prof. Uri Schattner of the University of Haifa, one of the authors of the study.

In February 2023, some of the strongest earthquakes in the history of the Middle East occurred in southeast Turkey, killing tens of thousands of people. The current study, published recently in the journal Tectonophysics, was conducted jointly with Dr. Amit Segev and Dr. Nadav Wetzler from the Geological Survey of Israel. The researchers sought to examine why the major earthquakes in Turkey did not cause significant aftershocks along the Dead Sea Fault and the countries along its 1000+ km trace.

They gathered the earthquake data from the Israeli and Turkish seismic monitoring networks, collected between 2000-2022 from Eilat to Turkey and in all the neighboring countries, and analyzed all their seismological components. The researchers also reviewed all previous geological, geophysical, volcanic and tectonic studies to better understand the Dead Sea fault development in the past millions of years. “We wanted to go back to square one and re-examine if these two major fault systems are actually connected,” explained Dr. Segev.

The findings confirm the northward development of the Dead Sea Fault, gradually separating between the Sinai and the Arabian plate over millions of years. However, they show an interesting trend. The modern earthquakes are concentrated along the southern portion of the fault, from the Red Sea to the Sea of Galilee, where the cumulative displacement is 105 km between Sinai and Arabia (the east side is moving north relative to the western side). From Lebanon northwards, earthquakes occur across a much wider area, including the Syrian Palmyra and Aleppo regions. In these areas, displacement along the Dead Sea Fault diminishes significantly—around 16-4 km in northwestern Syria—and is absent at its supposed junction with the East Anatolian Fault.

“This finding enhances our understanding of how seismic energy dissipates in earthquake-prone areas. It may help improve our preparedness for seismic events by showing that the Dead Sea Fault is not directly connected to the East Anatolian Fault. This finding is critical in managing seismic risk in our region and raises new questions concerning the type of earthquakes that may occur in northern Israel,” noted Dr. Wetzler from the Seismological Division of the Geological Survey of Israel.

The researchers add that the meeting area between the Dead Sea and East Anatolian Faults may be considered a natural laboratory for studying the processes in which tectonic junctions are formed between plate boundaries. “A plate boundary such as the Dead Sea Fault can be found in many other places, such as the San Andreas Fault in California. They are part of the global tectonic network of plate boundaries. Our study shows how a plate boundary junction is created,” Dr. Segev explained.

“Our findings enhance our understanding of crustal structures across the Middle East,” concluded the researchers. “This knowledge provides better tools for assessing earthquake distribution and propagation, marking a significant step towards improving regional seismic risk and hazard assessment”.

The post Why Turkey earthquakes don’t hit Israel? It’s the Dead Sea Fault appeared first on Green Prophet.

In the fertile plains of Turkey known as the Konya Plain and celebrated as the country’s breadbasket, an eerie phenomenon is taking shape. More than 2,600 sinkholes have appeared in the last years and experts believe it’s from drought and a reckless use of the country’s groundwater draining the aquifers.

Varying in size the sinkholes are starting to threaten not on the farmers’ lives but residential areas as well including the regions of Cihanbeyli, Yunak, Kulu, Sarayönü and Kadınhanı, where the farmers’ rely on grain production.

While sinkholes are believed to occur in nature, experts in Turkey say the sudden increase is manmade. Officials at the the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and the Sinkhole Application Research Center at Konya Technical University are closely monitoring the situation. 

Read related: Sinkholes from the Dead Sea region

Will authorities be able to get groundwater overuse under control?

Turkey is notorious for cutting corners and disregarding policies meant to protect people. Years of neglect is the reason why there are so many fatalities after earthquakes in Turkey. The same is true with the recent decision to cull millions of dogs, 4 million dogs, from the streets of Turkey.

Turkish environmentalists were killed for protecting the land. The least we can do is petition that justice is served.

The government had issued rules for sterilizing feral dogs and cats on the streets. The policies weren’t enforced and now the animals are paying the price.

In other areas, whistleblowing against pollution can send you to jail in Turkey. Treehuggers have been murdered for protecting forests against mining. Read the story on Ali Ulvi and Aysin Büyüknohutçu.

Word to visitors to Turkey: Watch out.

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It’s not being picked up on mainstream media but X users are reporting that the Turkish dog cull has begun.

Earlier this summer President Erdogan announced he’d start culling 4 million stray dogs from the streets of Turkey. The dogs are becoming a nuisance after a failed sterilization program didn’t work. Locals say it was due to lack of enforcement — the same reason why so many new earthquake-proof buildings in Turkey crumbled after the last earthquake. 

Turkish animal activist Insane Huseyin posts thousands of images of abused animals in Turkey. Locals and governments turn a blind eye.

“Has the photo become a poster of the evil that kills innocent animals by injecting them with laundry drugs?” writes Huseyin. “The world is angry and cursing.”

“A man was arrested in Istanbul for trying to stop dog catchers from illegally darting stray dogs without a vet in attendance. People will now end up in prison for trying to stop Presidents Erdogan’s dog genocide,” writes Dominic Dyer.

On Sunday, September 1, 2024, at 15:00 PM, animal rights activists in Turkey will demonstrate to demand justice for Turkish strays and stand in solidarity with Turkish activists risking their lives and liberty to oppose the bloodshed.

They invite all people to join us to call on the Turkish government to repeal the massacre law. This demonstration is hosted by Animal Save Movement and In Defense of Animals. An event will also be hosted in London outside the Turkish Embassy.

“Do not visit Turkey. Go to Greece instead,” says Nioh Berg on X.

It’s not the first time Turkey murdered its stray dogs. In 1910 80,000 strays were sent to a barren island to die. The massacre left a scar on the local psyche and many believed was to blame for the Ottoman defeat in the Balkan Wars & WWI.

Not long ago a Palestinian mayor called for the killing of dogs in Hebron, offering the equivalent of $20 for a truck load of dead dogs. This was until animal rights activist from Bethlehem stepped in – Diana Babish.

Animal abuse is rampant in the Middle East. We have plenty of horror stories from Jordan in our archives on abuse of dogs. Pets are abandoned as people flee climate change and the heat of the UAE.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Read here about Islam’s teachings on animals for inspiration.

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Turkey suffered a devastating earthquake in its southeast region of Antakya in 2023. Not because they weren’t prepared but because of the failures and corruption inside the Turkish building authority where contractors cut corners without oversight.

Antakya, built on the site of the ancient city of Antioch, was one of the cities hit hardest by the earthquake on Feb. 6, 2023. Much of the modern city crumbled.

But Antakya needs to be rebuild and the the UK-based starchitect firm Foster + Partners announces it is working closely with several local NGOs and Turkish civil agencies (including the Turkish Design Council, the Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism) to rebuild Ankara sustainably and hopefully securely this time.

We hope they are consulting the ultimate architecture reference book Habitat by Sandra Pesik.

Buro Happold, MIC-HUB, and Turkish practices DB Architects and KEYM Urban Renewal Centre collaborated on the Antakya proposal. The plan will reportedly be implemented in a 30-square-kilometer (11.6-square-mile) planning area.

They are using farming language such as the “regeneration plan” which includes eight separate ‘design principles and among them are to:

Build on safe land,

Improve circulation,

Improve open spaces,

Create new districts,

Layer neighborhoods,

Enhance connectivity at a city and neighborhood scale, and, finally,

Build back.

No timelines for its start or completion have been provided at this time.

The full details of Foster + Partners’ plan for an urban recovery of the earthquake-damaged Turkish city of Antakya and Hatay province have been made publicly available for the first time since the project was announced last October.

Bruno Moser, Senior Partner, Head of Urban Design, Foster + Partners said: “We have been inspired by the resilience of the people of Antakya, and share their passion for their unique, historic city. Our strategy does not offer a ‘one size that fits all’ vision.

“It balances the historic spirit of the place with improvements and enhancements that will support a sustainable future for Antakya. We have developed the vision underpinned by the fact that reconstruction following a natural disaster is not merely about buildings but about rebuilding communities, feelings of safety and belonging, and rebuilding trust.”

An estimated 53,000 people died from the 2023 earthquake.

And with an estimated 80 percent of the city destroyed, there is an urgent need to reimagine and rebuild for future generations. The new Foster + Partners masterplan, the firm says, “aims to retain the cherished spirit of the town and pre-earthquake characteristics in terms of scale, relationships, and configurations, reinforcing the local character and climate.”

A significant part of the process has been understanding and embedding Hatay’s rich history into the vision. Other recent and historic disasters were used as case studies, with comparable rebuild attempts used to distil best practice that will support a sustainable future for Antakya.

The masterplan seeks to respect the urban character of the area and build anew in a way which makes the residents feel like they can be at home in the revitalised city. The design principles stipulate the need to retain the character of the historic streets of Antakya, overlaying on the existing road network and retaining the building scale and façade rhythm, according to Foster + Partners.

Antakya was colonised by the Turkish Empire but it was first known as Antioch on the Orontes – an Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. It was one of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, serving as the capital of the Seleucid Empire and later as regional capital to both the Roman and Byzantine Empire. If you travel around Turkey today you will find thousands of archeological sites throughout the country surrounded by farms and villages.

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Turkish legislators have approved a law that make it legal to kill any number of the estimated 4 million stray dogs that are on the country’s streets.

Thousands of animal lovers have joined protests across Turkey calling for the removal of an article in the law that would allow for strays to be euthanised. Opposition lawmakers say the bill is a “massacre law”. The law was passed this week.

“Unfortunately this is true… we’re so sorry and angry,” our treehugger and activist friend Gökçe Uygun from Istanbul told Green Prophet. It hasn’t started just yet because it was only approved in the parliament 2 days ago, she said.

The Palestinian mayor in Hebron offered locals $6 USD a dead dog in 2022 to cull local populations in the West Bank from taking over the streets. Our friend and animal activist Diana Babish, from whom we have adopted 2 dogs in Ramallah, shut down the mayor and the ugly practice.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signed the measure into law, thanked his ruling party: “Despite the opposition’s provocations and campaigns based on lies and distortions, the national assembly once again listened to the people, refusing to ignore the cries of the silent majority,” he said.

Erdogen is responsible for the Gezi Park protests. Erdogen is building Turkey to be nuclear as Germany shuts down its last reactor. Don’t forget about this couple murdered in Turkey for saving the trees.

Yet there are gentle nature lovers in Turkey who plant forests of trees. There are treehugging journalists in Istanbul. Like Turkey itself which straddles the East and West, there are people actively for and against the killing of pets.

About about 4 million stray dogs roam Turkey’s streets and rural areas. Most are harmless but they sometimes build up in packs and attack people. Many Muslims are terrified of dogs. Turkey is a Muslim majority population.

Why don’t Muslims like dogs?

Dogs are revered in Judaism for not barking when the Jews were escaping Egypt. They are loved by the pharaohs – tomb paintings of the pharaoh Tutankhamun show him in his chariot with his hunting dogs and Rameses the Great is depicted similarly. With Khufu and his companion, dogs were often buried with their masters in order to accompany them closely in the afterlife.

Dog is kalb in Arabic: كَلْب, dog which is similar to “kelev” in ancient Hebrew and there are different views on dogs and Islam. The Sunni Maliki school of Islamic jurisprudence says the laws of impurity of dogs are different between wild dogs and pet dogs, and only consider the saliva of the former to be impure; on the other hand, some schools of Islamic law consider all dogs as unclean (najis).

Hundreds of people gathered in Istanbul and issued a message to the government which also supports Hamas terrorists: “Your massacre law is just a piece of paper for us. We will write the law on the streets. Life and solidarity, not hatred and hostility, will win.”

Animal lovers in the capital, Ankara read: “We are warning the government again and again, stop the law. Do not commit this crime against this country.”

Turkey’s main opposition party said it would work to cancel this law at the supreme court.

Endorsement, however, by Turkey’s unstable leader, could provoke locals to kill dogs when no one is supervising.

While Turkey had endorsed a law to catch, spay and then release stray dogs, critics say the law was not enforced. The same way building code laws in Turkey exist, but corners are taken and “safe” building crumble when there is an earthquake.

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