Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – Historical structures estimated to be around 2,400 years old have been photographed underwater in the Egil district of Diyarbakir, in southeastern Türkiye.
Egil is located 52 kilometers from the Diyarbakir city center and has been home to numerous civilizations from antiquity to the present, making it a significant site for religious, natural, and cultural heritage.
Credit: AA
Human settlement around Diyarbakir dates back to the Stone Age. The first major state to establish itself in the region was the Hurrian kingdom of Mitanni. Over time, the area came under the control of many of the powers that dominated Upper Mesopotamia, including the Arameans, Assyrians, Urartu, Armenians, Achaemenid Persians, Medes, Seleucids, and Parthians.
The Roman Republic took control of the city in 66 BC, by which time it was known as “Amida.” In 359 AD, the Sasanian ruler Shapur II captured Amida after a 73-day siege.
According to the Synecdemus of Hierocles, Amida (modern Diyarbakir) was the principal city of the Roman province of Mesopotamia and served as the episcopal see of the Christian diocese of Mesopotamia.
Today, some of the remains of this long history lie underwater. The Tigris Dam Lake, whose construction began in 1986 and was completed in 1997, is an important source of drinking and utility water for the region. It also conceals numerous historical structures beneath its surface.
To protect key religious sites from flooding, the tombs of the prophets Zulkifl and Elisha in Egil were relocated to Nebi Harun Hill in 1995. However, several rock-cut tombs and historical buildings, including a mosque, madrasa, and bathhouse, were left in place and are now submerged.
Recently, the Provincial Gendarmerie Command’s Underwater Search and Rescue (SAK) teams, while conducting training dives in the dam lake, filmed some of these submerged structures. Their work has provided new visual documentation and insights into the area’s ancient past.
Credit: AA
According to Professor Dr. Irfan Yildiz, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design at Dicle University (DU), the completion of the dam and the beginning of water impoundment caused many settlements and historical artifacts along the Tigris River to be submerged.
He explained that the Tekke and Haciyan neighborhoods were among the most affected areas. Tekke, in particular, contained several significant historical sites, including the tomb and mosque of Prophet Elisha, the adjacent mosque, and the madrasa built by the Egil beys during the Ottoman period, known as “Caferiye” or “Lala Kasim Madrasa.” The neighborhood cemetery and the surrounding rock tombs were also submerged under the dam waters. In addition, the tomb of Prophet Zulkifl in the Haciyan neighborhood was flooded.
Yildiz also noted that the Deran Bath, located between the prophets’ tombs and the castle and dating back to the Byzantine period, was submerged as well. He pointed out that these historical structures can still be documented and photographed through underwater diving.
He added that images captured by SAK (Search and Rescue Association) teams during training dives in the dam lake clearly show the tomb of Prophet Elisha, the adjacent mosque, the Caferiye Madrasa, and the cemetery of the Tekke neighborhood.
According to Professor Dr. Irfan Yildiz, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design at Dicle University (DU), the completion of the dam and the beginning of water impoundment caused many settlements and historical artifacts along the Tigris River to be submerged.
Credit: AA
He explained that the Tekke and Haciyan neighborhoods were among the most affected areas. Tekke, in particular, contained several significant historical sites, including the tomb and mosque of Prophet Elisha, the mosque adjacent to the tomb, and the madrasa built by the Egil beys during the Ottoman period, known as “Caferiye” or “Lala Kasim Madrasa.”
Credit: AA
The neighborhood cemetery and the surrounding rock tombs were also submerged under the dam waters. In addition, the tomb of Prophet Zulkifl in the Haciyan neighborhood was flooded.
Yildiz also noted that the Deran Bath, located between the prophets’ tombs and the castle and dating back to the Byzantine period, was submerged as well. He pointed out that these historical structures can still be documented and photographed through underwater diving.
Credit: AA
He added that images captured by SAK (Search and Rescue Association) teams during training dives in the dam lake clearly show the tomb of Prophet Elisha, the adjacent mosque, the Caferiye Madrasa, and the cemetery of the Tekke neighborhood.
See also: More Archaeology News
Yildiz explained that during the drought years, as the water receded, the silhouettes of some structures within the dam lake became clearer, and continued as follows:
“In the images taken by the teams, and in the silhouettes of the historical artifacts that emerged as the dam lake’s water receded, we see that these historical artifacts have remained intact and preserved underwater for a long time. There are artifacts approximately 2,400 years old in the Tigris Dam Lake. Underwater archaeology is an important and developing field of study in Türkiye. Underwater archaeological studies can also be carried out on these artifacts that remain under the dam lake.”
Source: Anadolu Agency
Written by Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com Staff Writer
