24 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Underwater Archaeologists discovered World’s Largest and Oldest ancient shipyard on Dana Island, Türkiye

The ruins of the world’s largest and oldest ancient shipyard were found in the north of the island of Dana, located along the coastline of the Silifke district of Mersin province in the Mediterranean region of Türkiye.

Dana Island is a small island in Turkey’s Rough Cilicia region, which is located near Silifke of Mersin. Because of the cedar trees in the Taurus mountains and iron ore deposits in the Gazipaşa and Anamur regions, the island’s region has been subject to international politics and trade since the Bronze Age.

To date, many 276 slipways from different periods have been discovered in situ on the island. With the new finds, the number of sleds reached 294.

Associate Professor Hakan Öniz, the head of the Department of Cultural Heritage Preservation and Restoration at Akdeniz University (AU) Faculty of Fine Arts, said, “We have proven that it is the oldest, untouched, and preserved shipyard in the world,”.

Photo: DHA

In 2015, with permission from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Associate Professor Dr. Öniz mentioned that they conducted a study and found the world’s largest and oldest ancient shipyard at the north of the island.

Dr. Öniz stated, “Every year, we conduct documentation and examination studies on Dana Island. With the new findings, the number of slipways reached 294. This means nearly 300 ships could have been simultaneously built, and these were warships. We can consider that they were reconstructed within the same year and contributed to the naval power in the Mediterranean. The simultaneous construction of 300 ships is so significant that it could alter the political, military, and commercial balances in the Mediterranean.”

Associate Professor Dr. Öniz highlighted that ships built on Dana Island were involved in various wars, including naval battles between the Sea Peoples migration during the Bronze Age and conflicts between Greeks and Persians.

He stated, “The entire world is aware of the existence of a shipyard set up side by side on Dana Island in Mersin and the capability to build nearly 300 ships. These slipways also served as a place for the annual maintenance of wooden ships. We have proven that it is the world’s oldest, untouched, and preserved shipyard.”

Photo: DHA

Dana Island’s slipways are mostly rock-cut and are classified based on their visible physical characteristics. The majority of the slipways were built side by side. The front parts of some slipways eroded away, but the back parts towards the mainland remained intact. There are also some unstudied rock-cut constructions behind large slipways that are likely special places for their service boats. Some slipways had also collapsed into the sea as a result of earthquakes.

The studies and underwater archaeological activities also performed in and around Dana island in recent years. Arkeo Scientific Research Ship was used during the underwater research project.

The Island’s slipway entrances were scanned by SCUBA diving devices including normal sea scooters. Deepwater sites around the island, which are far from the coastline have been researched by sonars and ROVs. Surveys on Dana island and its shores will continue in following years.

Cover Photo: DHA

Related Articles

Will new Technology be able to Solve the Mystery in Masovia?

14 May 2021

14 May 2021

Although there are about 500 medieval tombs found in today’s Masovia and Podlasie cities, the question of who these tombs...

Archaeologists find new clues about North Carolina’s ‘Lost Colony’ from the 16th century

11 May 2024

11 May 2024

Archaeologists from The First Colony Foundation have yielded a tantalizing clue about the fate of the Lost Colony, the settlers...

Mystery of the 1,700-year-old Mosaic Solved: The Medallion in the Mosaic uncovered to be the Symbol of a Roman Military Unit

10 August 2024

10 August 2024

The mystery of the 1,700-year-old mosaic, which was found during excavations in Amasya province in northern Turkey 11 years ago...

‘Astonishingly Preserved’ Ancient Roman Well Found in Cambridgeshire was An Engineering Failure

22 August 2024

22 August 2024

In an excavation at the site of future highway improvements in Cambridgeshire, the team from MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology)...

Assyriologist solves archaeological mystery from 700 BC in Khorsabad, Iraq

7 May 2024

7 May 2024

A new interpretation of a set of temple symbols that have puzzled scholars for more than a century has been...

Early Iron Age cremation burial containing bronze jewelry and rare textile fragments found in Austria

9 July 2023

9 July 2023

Archeologists from the Vienna Natural History Museum (NHM), a cremation burial containing bronze jewelry and rare surviving textile fragments have...

A 3,300-year-old tablet found at Büklükale from Hittite Empire describes catastrophic invasion of four cities

11 March 2024

11 March 2024

Archaeologists have unearthed a 3,300-year-old clay tablet depicting a catastrophic foreign invasion of the Hittite Empire in Büklükale, about 100...

Obsidian Research in Alberta Uncovers Evidence of Extensive Long-Distance Trade Among Indigenous Peoples Before European Contact

31 March 2025

31 March 2025

Recent research into obsidian artifacts in Alberta, a province located in western Canada, has unveiled significant evidence of long-distance trade...

Two new fragments of the Fasti Ostienses, a kind of chronicle engraved on marble slabs, have been found in the Ostia Antica Archaeological Park

19 August 2023

19 August 2023

Two new fragments of the Fasti Ostienses have been discovered in the Ostia Antica Archaeological Park, following investigations carried out...

Mysterious Rods Found in 5,500-year-old Tomb identified to Be Earliest Drinking Straws

19 January 2022

19 January 2022

Russian archaeologists argue that the rods unearthed in an early bronze age tomb in the Caucasus are the oldest known...

60 Elongated Structures of Unknown Function and Neolithic Silos Discovered in France

12 October 2024

12 October 2024

The Pfulgriesheim site, located in northeastern France’s Alsace region, underwent extensive archaeological research before being developed as a new urban...

Dark secrets of Korea’s famous Wolseong palace complex are unearthed

8 September 2021

8 September 2021

The remains of an adult woman were discovered at the base of the Wolseong palace in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang province,...

The discovery of a 380-million-year-old heart sheds new light on our bodies’ evolution

16 September 2022

16 September 2022

Researchers from Curtin University have discovered the world’s oldest heart in a ‘beautifully preserved’ ancient jawed fish fossil 380 million...

A Scandinavian Roman gladiator in York: Research Reveals Unknown Migrations Before the Viking Age

7 January 2025

7 January 2025

Scandinavian genes were present on the British Isles several centuries earlier than previously thought, including evidence from a man buried...

Excavations show the Temple of Poseidon at Samikon is more Monumental than Previously Assumed -New Discoveries

3 November 2024

3 November 2024

New excavations by archaeologists from the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Greek Ministry of Culture in Kleidi-Samikon in the...