Underwater archaeological excavations in the Turkish port town of Urla have been chosen by the Archaeological Institute of America as one of the ten most important nautical excavations in the world.
Findings at the Turkish site have includ
ed the oldest wooden anchor in the world, the remains of an ancient port that collapsed in an earthquake, and sunken remains of the town itself.
The Urla excavations are being carried out by Haifa University's Institute for Maritime Studies in cooperation with scientists from Ankara University.
The research team, headed by Haifa University's Prof. Michal Artzi, began in 2000 when the Turkish researches invited their Haifa colleagues to assist in the underwater excavations. Over the years, many Turkish divers were trained by experts from Haifa's Institute for Maritime Studies, and Ankara University has recently established its own marine institute under the guidance of the Israeli team.
This unique cooperation has also led the local inhabitants to uncover their Jewish roots: two ancient Jewish cemeteries that had been neglected for years have been renovated and have been added to the region's maps.