Huge ancient shipyard unearthed on Turkey's Dana Island

A huge shipyard, believed to be the oldest in the world, has been discovered on Dana Island in the southern province of Mersin's Silifke district. 

Academics believe that the huge shipyard, which includes nearly 270 slipways, could shed light on the 400-year "Dark Ages" of the Mediterranean over 1,000 years B.C. 

"This is the one and only in the world. The biggest shipyard that has been proven archaeologically in the world," said Hakan Öniz, the head of Selçuk University's Underwater Archaeology Department.

Öniz said they had started underwater works on the coasts of Mersin in 2015 in an attempt to discover archaeological artifacts and prohibited areas for diving on the coasts of Mersin, particularly in Silifke. 

He also added that they had determined the existence of archaeological wreckages in the region. "But the most exciting for us was an iron spur that we found at a depth of 35 meters and that was used as the weapon of warships in ancient ages. Such an iron spur has been found for the first time in the world," Öniz said. 

The team has carried out works from west to east on the Selçuk 1 Scientific Research Ship and is continuing to work around the Dana Island, located two kilometers off the coast. 

"We were surprised when we found dozens of slipways in the northern part of the island in 2015," Öniz said, adding that they were still working to determine the exact period these structures date back to.

"During works in 2016, we also unearthed a huge shipyard where 274 ships could be built at the same time. It is the only such shipyard in the world. We are continuing work to try to date it. Most probably it is the oldest shipyard in the world. We estimate that it was used around 1,200 B.C. in the Late...