Cape Gelidonya, Coastal promontory and Bronze Age shipwreck site in Antalya Province, Turkey.
Cape Gelidonya is a rocky headland that juts into the Mediterranean from the foothills of the Taurus Mountains in Turkey's Antalya Province. A lighthouse stands at the tip of the cape roughly 227 meters above the water, making it visible from far across the sea.
A trading ship loaded with copper ingots, pottery, and weights sank offshore around 1200 BCE, becoming an important archaeological discovery. The wreck shows how busy these sea trading routes were during the Bronze Age.
The name comes from ancient Greek and reflects the maritime trade routes that once connected distant Mediterranean peoples. You can feel this historical connection while walking along the rocky shore where merchants once sailed their ships.
The lighthouse can be reached by following a hiking trail of about 6 kilometers starting from Korsan Bay, taking under an hour each way. Wear sturdy shoes and be ready for rocky and uneven ground along the path.
The underwater site became the location of one of the earliest scientifically documented underwater excavations, conducted in 1960. This pioneering work set new standards for how researchers could explore shipwrecks beneath the sea.
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