Sunken City

One of the highlights of our time on the boat in Turkey was sailing by the sunken city of Kekova, an ancient city that was destroyed by an earthquake in the 2nd century.  When the earthquake occurred, the town slid and crumbled down the hill, while the foundations of the buildings sunk into the sea. 

Here you can clearly see the foundation of a rather large building and, on land, at the water's edge, the stone frame of an ancient shop.  Amazing . . . this is all almost 2,000 years old.

The Turkish government finally took steps to protect this historical monument in the 1990's, following years of plunder by tourists and scuba divers. 

I was struck by how long it took to implement regulations, as I had been while in Istanbul when we learned that earthquake regulations just started in the 90's as well.  Not very reassuring when Turkey has experienced an earthquake every 200-250 years, and they are currently in year 232 of that cycle. 

We spoke to several people along the way who indicated that preparedness is not really a cultural value in Turkey, although it's nonetheless fascinating to see that tendency play out at a governmental level, especially with regard to the obvious devastation an earthquake can cause if the country is not ready for it.

A door to a house, still standing at the edge of sea:

The clear outline of a roof in the stone wall. 

 

I'm always awed by church ruins, and this sunken church, with the apse so visible but submerged, gave me goosebumps:

The apse:

The only residents:

 

Archways still standing:

 

Stairs to nowhere: