4,000-year-old Minoan shipwreck discovered in Turkish waters

Turkish researchers from the Marine Science and Technology Institute of Dokuz Eylul University have discovered a 4,000-year-old shipwreck in the Marmaris Hisarönü Gulf, which is believed to be a trading ship from the Minoan civilization. It is the oldest shipwreck ever recovered in Turkish waters.

Turkish media outlet, TRT Haber, reports that the discovery was made following more than five years of investigations and analyses being conducted by the University’s Marine Sciences Institute, which has been carrying out an inventory of shipwrecks in the region. 

Lead researcher Professor Abdurrahman Harun Özdaş from Dokuz Eylül University said that, so far, a team of 15 researchers including underwater archeologists, marine geophysicists, and biologists, has identified over 100 shipwrecks in the Marmaris Hisarönü Gulf, along with over 20 ports, 25 ship mooring areas, 400 anchors, and numerous archaeological remains dating from the Bronze Age to the Ottoman period. However, the latest discovery has been described as the most significant and historically important finding to date.

The 4,000-year-old shipwreck was discovered in the Marmaris Hisarönü Gulf.