The “Lycia-Kaş Underwater Art Park” will exhibit replicas of smuggled historical Greek civilization artifacts under the sea in Turkey’s southern province of Attaleia (Ἀττάλεια, Turkish: Antalya) in the district of Antifellos (Αντίφελλος, Turkish: Kaş).
More than 650 lost Greek artifacts from the ancient city of Lycia (Λυκία) will be presented to visitors of the art park in an area of approximately 10,000 square meters under the sea.
The Greek artificts were lowered into the water by divers.
Underwater photographer Şükrü Gürsoy made 25 dives and stayed underwater for 30 hours to capture the moments while the artworks were being replaced in the water.
“The purpose is to create an area where visitors who come to the region with tour boats can watch without diving,” said Kaş District Governor Şaban Arda Yazıcı.
“The artifacts lowered into the Limanağzı region will offer pleasant visuals to visitors in a depth of 5 meters to 20 meters.
“Thanks to the project, the pressure of the boats that anchor heavily in the area where the artifacts are unloaded will be prevented, and fixed vaults will be placed on the area in order to protect the posedonia meadows.”
Among the works to be exhibited underwater are the columns on the Patara Colonnaded Street, Poseidon and his Horses, the Chimera and the Legend of Bellarophoron, and the Erbinna Monument (Nereids) in the ancient city of Xanthos that stand out.
Lycia appears as an important figure in Greek mythology and is frequently referenced.
The historian Herodotus records one version of Lycian descent, claiming that the inhabitants of Lycia were originally from Crete (1.173.3).
He relates their origin to a royal dispute between the two sons of Europa, namely Sarpedon and Minos. Sarpedon, the defeated brother, was cast out but went on to found Lycia.
During this period, Herodotus claims that the settlement was known as Termilae.
It was not until a man called Lycus, who was banished from Athens, arrived at Termilae that the site was then known as Lycia.
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