World’s oldest shipwreck enters Guinness World Records

ANTALYA

A diver examines pottery at the wreck near Kekova Island off Antalya. (AA Photo)

A shipwreck discovered near Kekova Island off the coast of Antalya in southern Türkiye has officially entered the Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest known shipwreck, dating back approximately 4,700 years to the Early Bronze Age.

The wreck was identified during underwater excavations launched in 2024 by a team led by Hakan Öniz, head of the Cultural Heritage Conservation and Restoration Department at Akdeniz University, on behalf of the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

Initially believed to date from the Ottoman period, the wreck was estimated to be between 100 and 400 years old. However, scientific examinations of artifacts recovered from a depth of 35 to 40 meters revealed that the ship was nearly 5,000 years old.

According to Öniz, comparisons with similar amphorae (ancient storage vessels) documented in Egypt helped researchers establish the wreck’s Early Bronze Age origins. The discovery was officially recognized by Guinness this week.

Öniz said the find demonstrated Türkiye’s prominent position in underwater archaeology, citing its specialist teams, research infrastructure and historically rich coastline.

The recovered artifacts, primarily amphorae, are currently undergoing conservation and examination at laboratories in the region and Akdeniz University’s underwater archaeology laboratory in Kemer.

Some of the finds are expected to go on display in the upcoming Four Seas, One Museum in Istanbul’s Haydarpaşa district, while others will be exhibited at the Mediterranean Underwater Archaeology Museum being established in Kemer.