Historical Buildings Discovered in Beyşehir Lake
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muharrem
Çeken, Head of Excavation at Kubadabad Palace Complex, said “Beyşehir Lake and
its surroundings have been the scene of settlements in the Chalcolithic, Bronze
and Iron Ages since the Neolithic Age.”
Pointing out that some of
these settlements were under water, Çeken said that “they added underwater
research to the excavation works of the Kubadabad Palace Complex. Stating that
the works started this year due to the low visibility under the water, Çeken
said, "There have been settlements on the edge of the lakebed, in these
water-drawn areas due to agricultural lands. In this process, we think that the
remains on the coast of the Kubadabad Palace Complex, probably on the coast,
were also built during these long-term withdrawals."
Çeken stated that the
remains of these buildings continued along the coastline towards the north, and
that there were structures connected with the remains of the large port on the
Mındıras Peninsula, where the remains of the Hellenistic Period were found.
Çeken stated that the
studies were carried out meticulously and said:
"Underwater
archaeologists took various tile and ceramic samples from the area where the
study was carried out. Work on the dating of these is ongoing. In addition,
plans of the structures under the lake are being tried. What level is it, is it
basic, is it at a higher level, is it mortarized, is it in some other way? As a
result of these studies, these will be revealed. These structures are located
in the east of the complex, about 100 meters inland from the water, at a depth
of 1-1.5 meters. It stretches along the whole coast and goes as far as
Mındıras, an area of about 3 kilometers. The structure we uncovered in 2020 is
a structure that covers an area of 150-200 square meters. Next to it there is
an adjacent structure covering an area of 100 square meters. We encounter these
structures along the whole coast."
Çeken reported that he
was of the opinion that the remains in question belonged especially to the Late
Roman Age or the Early Byzantine period.
