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Malay Mail
27-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Five-thousand-year-old bread unearthed in Turkiye inspires modern bakery craze
ESKISEHIR, May 28 — In the early Bronze Age, a piece of bread was buried beneath the threshold of a newly built house in what is today central Turkiye. Now, more than 5,000 years later, archaeologists have unearthed it, and helped a local bakery to recreate the recipe — with customers lining up to buy it. Round and flat like a pancake, 12cm in diameter, the bread was discovered during excavations at Kulluoba, a site near the central Anatolian city of Eskisehir. 'This is the oldest baked bread to have come to light during an excavation, and it has largely been able to preserve its shape,' said Murat Turkteki, archaeologist and director of the excavation. 'Bread is a rare find during an excavation. Usually, you only find crumbs,' he told AFP. 'But here, it was preserved because it had been burnt and buried,' he said. Archeologists Murat Turkteki (left) and Deniz Sari look at Kulluoba bread, a 5,000 years old bread unearthed in an archeological excavation in Eskisehir province, in central Turkiye, and exhibited at Eskisehir ETI archeology museum, May 23, 2025. — AFP pic The bread was charred and buried under the entrance of a dwelling built around 3,300 BC. A piece had been torn off, before the bread was burnt, then buried when the house was built. 'It makes us think of a ritual of abundance,' Turkteki said. 'Moved by this discovery' Unearthed in September 2024, the charred bread has been on display at the Eskisehir Archaeological Museum since Wednesday. 'We were very moved by this discovery. Talking to our excavation director, I wondered if we could reproduce this bread,' said the city's mayor, Ayse Unluce. Analyses showed that the bread was made with coarsely ground emmer flour, an ancient variety of wheat, and lentil seeds, with the leaf of an as yet undetermined plant used as yeast. Ancient emmer seeds no longer exist in Turkiye. Employees of Halk Ekmek, a municipal company aiming to provided low cost bread in Eskisehir, mix and cut dough in order to make Kulluoba breads, a reproduction of a 5,000 years old bread unearthed in an archeological excavation, in Eskisehir province, in central Turkiye, May 23, 2025. — AFP pic To get as close as possible to the original recipe, the municipality, after analysing the ancient bread, decided to use Kavilca wheat, a variety that is close to ancient emmer, as well as bulgur and lentils. At the Halk Ekmek bakery (meaning 'People's Bread' in Turkish), promoted by the municipality to offer low-cost bread, employees have been shaping 300 loaves of Kulluoba by hand every day. 'The combination of ancestral wheat flour, lentils and bulgur results in a rich, satiating, low-gluten, preservative-free bread,' said Serap Guler, the bakery's manager. The first Kulluoba loaves, marketed as 300-gramme (11-ounce) cakes that cost 50 Turkish lira (around RM5.40), sold out within hours. 'I rushed because I was afraid there wouldn't be any left. I'm curious about the taste of this ancient bread,' said customer Suzan Kuru. A 5,000-year-old loaf of bread was discovered in September 2024 by archaeologists in Eskisehir province, central Turkey. Since May 22, the municipality has been reproducing it using the original recipe and plans to revive the cultivation of ancient wheat, which is better suited to drought. — AFP pic Drought resistant In the absence of written traces, the civilisation of Kulluoba remains largely mysterious. In the Bronze Age, the Hattians, an Anatolian people who preceded the Hittites, lived in the Eskisehir region. 'Kulluoba was a medium-sized urban agglomeration engaged in commercial activities, crafts, agriculture and mining. There was clearly a certain family and social order,' said archaeologist Deniz Sari. The rediscovery of the bread has sparked interest in the cultivation of ancient wheats better adapted to drought. Once rich in water sources, the province of Eskisehir is today suffering from drought. An employee of Halk Ekmek puts in a package Kulluoba bread, a reproduction of a 5,000 years old bread unearthed in an archeological excavation in Eskisehir province, in central Turkiye, on May 23, 2025. 'We're facing a climate crisis, but we're still growing corn and sunflowers, which require a lot of water,' said Unluce, the local mayor. 'Our ancestors are teaching us a lesson. Like them, we should be moving towards less thirsty crops,' she added. The mayor wants to revive the cultivation of Kavilca wheat in the region, which is resistant to drought and disease. 'We need strong policies on this subject. Cultivating ancient wheat will be a symbolic step in this direction,' she said. 'These lands have preserved this bread for 5,000 years and given us this gift. We have a duty to protect this heritage and pass it on.' — AFP
Arab News
27-05-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Turkiye detains 13 people in probe of fintech Papara, which acquired Pakistan's SadaPay
ISTANBUL: Turkish authorities detained 13 people as part of an investigation into fintech company Papara over suspected money laundering, illegal betting and establishing a criminal organization, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Tuesday. Yerlikaya said authorities determined that the company, which provides online money transfers, foreign-exchange transactions and bill-payment services for its 21 million users, was allowing users to open accounts to transfer illegal betting income. A report by state broadcaster TRT Haber said the detentions included Papara's founder and chairman, Ahmet Faruk Karsli. As part of the probe, the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) was appointed as a trustee to Papara by a court decision, following reports from the central bank, the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), and other relevant institutions. The central bank, which regulates payment firms, said on Tuesday it would implement daily limits to transactions made on the platform. 'In this process, which will be carried out in coordination with the relevant institutions, temporary daily limits will be applied to payment transactions at the institution,' the central bank said in a statement. It also sought to reassure users, noting that 'within the scope of the law, the funds of payment service users in payment and electronic money institutions are secured in protection accounts at banks.' Yerlikaya said 10 companies, bank accounts and assets of the detained individuals were seized as part of the investigation. A report by the financial crimes unit found that more than 26,000 accounts were used for illegal online betting, involving transactions worth 12.9 billion lira ($330 million), he added. Papara, one of Turkiye's fastest-growing fintech companies, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company was founded in 2015 and received an electronic money institution license from the banking regulator BDDK the following year. It expanded abroad by acquiring Pakistan-based SadaPay and Spain-based Rebellion Pay in 2023. According to its website, Papara had 21 million users as of last year. PPR Holding owns Papara, and Trade Registry data shows Karsli held about 90 percent of the company as of May 2024.
Reuters
27-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Turkey orders detentions in fintech Papara probe, broadcaster TRT says
ISTANBUL, May 27 (Reuters) - Turkish prosecutors have ordered the detention of 13 people as part of an investigation into fintech company Papara over suspected money laundering, broadcaster TRT Haber reported on Tuesday. Papara did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. The TRT Haber report said the company, which provides online money transfers, foreign-exchange transactions and bill-payment services, was being investigated for enabling illegal online betting money transfers. It said prosecutors had ordered the detention of 13 people including the founder and the chairman of the company, adding that trustees had been appointed to manage the firm during the course of the probe.
Al Bawaba
27-05-2025
- Al Bawaba
Horrific murder leaves man without ears in Turkey
Published May 27th, 2025 - 06:08 GMT ALBAWABA - A man in his fifties sparked widespread concern in Turkey when he was horrifically murdered in Denizli province. His ears were cut off and allegedly stolen, which prompted local police to launch an investigation into the matter in question, as reported by Erem News. 56-year-old farmer Khaled Terry was found dead in his garden by one of his neighbors, with several reports indicating that he was found earless with severe damage to his face. However, local media reported that Terry didn't suffer from stab wounds or other injuries, raising further questions about the nature of the murderer. Horrific murder leaves man without ears in Turkey Additionally, when an investigation was launched at the scene, local police couldn't locate the ears, deeming them stolen. Khaled Terry's body was transferred to the forensic medicine department as part of the investigation. The suspect's identity remains unknown, but investigations are underway. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Arab News
27-05-2025
- Science
- Arab News
Ancient bread rises again as Turkiye recreates 5,000-year-old loaf
ESKISEHIR: In the early Bronze Age, a piece of bread was buried beneath the threshold of a newly built house in what is today central Turkiye. Now, more than 5,000 years later, archaeologists have unearthed it, and helped a local bakery to recreate the recipe — with customers lining up to buy it. Round and flat like a pancake, 12 centimeters (five inches) in diameter, the bread was discovered during excavations at Kulluoba, a site near the central Anatolian city of Eskisehir. 'This is the oldest baked bread to have come to light during an excavation, and it has largely been able to preserve its shape,' said Murat Turkteki, archaeologist and director of the excavation. 'Bread is a rare find during an excavation. Usually, you only find crumbs,' he told AFP. 'But here, it was preserved because it had been burnt and buried,' he said. The bread was charred and buried under the entrance of a dwelling built around 3,300 BC. A piece had been torn off, before the bread was burnt, then buried when the house was built. 'It makes us think of a ritual of abundance,' Turkteki said. Unearthed in September 2024, the charred bread has been on display at the Eskisehir Archaeological Museum since Wednesday. 'We were very moved by this discovery. Talking to our excavation director, I wondered if we could reproduce this bread,' said the city's mayor, Ayse Unluce. Analyzes showed that the bread was made with coarsely ground emmer flour, an ancient variety of wheat, and lentil seeds, with the leaf of an as yet undetermined plant used as yeast. Ancient emmer seeds no longer exist in Turkiye. To get as close as possible to the original recipe, the municipality, after analizing the ancient bread, decided to use Kavilca wheat, a variety that is close to ancient emmer, as well as bulgur and lentils. At the Halk Ekmek bakery (meaning 'People's Bread' in Turkish), promoted by the municipality to offer low-cost bread, employees have been shaping 300 loaves of Kulluoba by hand every day. 'The combination of ancestral wheat flour, lentils and bulgur results in a rich, satiating, low-gluten, preservative-free bread,' said Serap Guler, the bakery's manager. The first Kulluoba loaves, marketed as 300-gram (11-ounce) cakes that cost 50 Turkish lira (around $1.28), sold out within hours. 'I rushed because I was afraid there wouldn't be any left. I'm curious about the taste of this ancient bread,' said customer Suzan Kuru. In the absence of written traces, the civilization of Kulluoba remains largely mysterious. In the Bronze Age, the Hattians, an Anatolian people who preceded the Hittites, lived in the Eskisehir region. 'Kulluoba was a medium-sized urban agglomeration engaged in commercial activities, crafts, agriculture and mining. There was clearly a certain family and social order,' said archaeologist Deniz Sari. The rediscovery of the bread has sparked interest in the cultivation of ancient wheats better adapted to drought. Once rich in water sources, the province of Eskisehir is today suffering from drought. 'We're facing a climate crisis, but we're still growing corn and sunflowers, which require a lot of water,' said Unluce, the local mayor. 'Our ancestors are teaching us a lesson. Like them, we should be moving toward less thirsty crops,' she added. The mayor wants to revive the cultivation of Kavilca wheat in the region, which is resistant to drought and disease. 'We need strong policies on this subject. Cultivating ancient wheat will be a symbolic step in this direction,' she said. 'These lands have preserved this bread for 5,000 years and given us this gift. We have a duty to protect this heritage and pass it on.'
