Giant ancient church containing many 1,600-year-old tombs discovered at the bottom of the lake
Foxnews reported on September 8 that this ancient Christian church was built around 390 AD. At that time, the Iznik Lake area was the city of Nicaea.
Foxnews said that this ancient Christian church was built around 390 AD. At that time, the area of Lake Iznik was the city of Nicaea.
The church ruins lie about 3 meters below the surface of the lake and 50 meters from the shore. Turkish archaeologists have been excavating part of the church since 2015 using a powerful vacuum system. They discovered several tombs and ancient coins from the times of Roman Emperor Valens (364-378) and Emperor Valentinianus II (375-392) inside.
Archaeologists have discovered a giant 1,600-year-old church under a lake in Bursa, Türkiye. Professor Mustafa Sahin, head of archaeology at Bursa Uludağ University (Türkiye), said: "When I first saw the photo of Lake Iznik, I was surprised to see such a clear church structure," according to Fox News.
Mr Sahin has been surveying Lake Iznik on the ground for years, but only discovered this when local surveyors showed him some aerial photographs in 2014.
Mr. Sahin said that the church may have been built on top of the temple of Apollo – a Greek god. In 740, an earthquake destroyed the church, the ruins were buried over time due to changes in the lake level.
Professor Sahin and local authorities are calling for the site to become Türkiye's first underwater archaeological reserve. If approved, construction could begin this year and open to visitors in 2019.