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Türkiye’s Waters Reveal Centuries of Ancient Maritime History
(MENAFN) Türkiye is widely known for its Byzantine and Ottoman heritage, as well as the ancient archaeological sites spread across its land. Yet beneath the waters surrounding the country lies another vast historical record, offering evidence of centuries of maritime trade and cultural exchange.
Underwater archaeologists have discovered numerous shipwrecks, ancient cargoes, copper ingots, amphorae and bronze weapons in Türkiye’s surrounding seas. These discoveries provide insight into the ships and civilizations that once traveled between Anatolia, the Aegean, the Levant and Egypt.
Türkiye has more than 8,300 kilometers (5,157 miles) of coastline stretching across four seas: the Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara and Black seas. Its location placed the region along important maritime routes that connected different civilizations and facilitated the movement of goods, people and ideas for thousands of years.
The southern and western coastlines were particularly important to the ancient Eastern Mediterranean trading network, where merchant vessels transported valuable materials and goods between major settlements and ports.
Underwater archaeological research has increasingly revealed the scale of this maritime activity. Hakan Oniz, an underwater archaeologist at Akdeniz University in Antalya, said researchers have identified and documented more than 430 shipwrecks along Türkiye’s Mediterranean coastline alone.
"We have detected and documented more than 430 shipwrecks along Türkiye's Mediterranean coast alone," Oniz said.
He emphasized the significance of the discoveries, describing the number of documented wrecks as exceptional on an international scale.
"This is an amazing number of documented shipwrecks all over the world, not only for Türkiye," he said.
Many of the sites provide a glimpse into ancient commercial networks that operated long before modern borders existed. Shipwreck remains and preserved cargoes can help researchers reconstruct the routes used by merchants and sailors, as well as the types of goods exchanged between communities around the Mediterranean.
The underwater heritage surrounding Türkiye therefore represents an important extension of the country’s archaeological record. While monuments and ruins on land offer evidence of past civilizations, the discoveries beneath its seas reveal another dimension of the region’s history, centered on navigation, trade and connections between ancient societies.
Underwater archaeologists have discovered numerous shipwrecks, ancient cargoes, copper ingots, amphorae and bronze weapons in Türkiye’s surrounding seas. These discoveries provide insight into the ships and civilizations that once traveled between Anatolia, the Aegean, the Levant and Egypt.
Türkiye has more than 8,300 kilometers (5,157 miles) of coastline stretching across four seas: the Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara and Black seas. Its location placed the region along important maritime routes that connected different civilizations and facilitated the movement of goods, people and ideas for thousands of years.
The southern and western coastlines were particularly important to the ancient Eastern Mediterranean trading network, where merchant vessels transported valuable materials and goods between major settlements and ports.
Underwater archaeological research has increasingly revealed the scale of this maritime activity. Hakan Oniz, an underwater archaeologist at Akdeniz University in Antalya, said researchers have identified and documented more than 430 shipwrecks along Türkiye’s Mediterranean coastline alone.
"We have detected and documented more than 430 shipwrecks along Türkiye's Mediterranean coast alone," Oniz said.
He emphasized the significance of the discoveries, describing the number of documented wrecks as exceptional on an international scale.
"This is an amazing number of documented shipwrecks all over the world, not only for Türkiye," he said.
Many of the sites provide a glimpse into ancient commercial networks that operated long before modern borders existed. Shipwreck remains and preserved cargoes can help researchers reconstruct the routes used by merchants and sailors, as well as the types of goods exchanged between communities around the Mediterranean.
The underwater heritage surrounding Türkiye therefore represents an important extension of the country’s archaeological record. While monuments and ruins on land offer evidence of past civilizations, the discoveries beneath its seas reveal another dimension of the region’s history, centered on navigation, trade and connections between ancient societies.
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