The "oldest" shipwreck in the world was found off Türkiye from the era of the pyramids

- Archaeologists working off the coast of Türkiye found a shipwreck dating back about 4,700 years, making it the oldest of its kind in the world. A number of ancient pottery storage jars known as "ampora" were recovered from the wreck site, which was discovered at a depth of approximately 30 meters near Kekova Island off the coast of southern Turkey, according to a statement issued by the Turkish Ministry of Culture.

These jars date back to between 4,400 and 4,700 years ago, and provide new information about maritime history, the daily lives of sailors, and trade links of the era. It is believed that the jars were mainly used to transport olive oil or wine.

However, one of them bears distinctive marks and two holes in its structure, indicating that it may have been used to make cheese or butter. Researchers believe that the presence of this jar may mean that sailors were taking a herd of goats with them on their trips, and using their milk to produce dairy products.

The excavations were led by Hakan Onez, a professor at Akdeniz University in Antalya, who told Oufik News that the shipwreck was first discovered four years ago. At first, researchers thought the jars were from a much more recent period, but Onez later read a study about jars found near the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, which are believed to have been under construction at the time the ship sank.

Onez told Ofoq News that these jars "similar to the ones we found in the wreckage of our ship." The team also hired a leading expert on jars, Australian archaeologist Karen Sawada, to examine the wreckage and examine the evidence discovered.

“There was consensus and we began to conduct additional analyses,” Onez explained, stressing that the team is “generally confident” that this is the oldest shipwreck in the world. He continued: "The matter is not limited to jars only, as the anchors and other archaeological finds found at the wreck site also indicate the same time period."

Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy indicated the possibility of the jars moving around the eastern Mediterranean. He said in a statement, “Clay analysis indicates that these jars were most likely made in workshops in the Jordan Valley.”

He added: "Finding similar models in Egypt, Troy, and the island of Crete is very important for understanding the trade networks that linked different geographical regions via sea routes." Researchers believe that the ship may have been on its way from the coast of the Levant, which extends from Türkiye in the north to Egypt in the south, towards Troy or the island of Crete, when it sank.