12,000-year-old rock paintings were seen underwater in Adıyaman.

Eight years ago, when the water level in the Atatürk Dam receded due to drought, fishermen accidentally discovered the Epipaleolithic rock paintings in the water, and they were examined. To assess the possibility that the dry summer had exposed the rock paintings again this year, officials traveled by boat to the Belören area of ​​the Kahta district, where the rock paintings were located, and found them to be approximately one meter below the water level.

MUSEUM DIRECTORATE OFFICIALS SCAN UNDERWATER ROCK PAINTINGS

Museum directorate officials entered the water and photographed the underwater rock paintings. They were found to be almost entirely covered in mussel shells. Preliminary cleaning teams determined the paintings were intact. The plan is to completely clean the rock paintings in the coming days, create a copy, and display them at the Adıyaman Museum.

PAINTINGS MADE WITH A 12,000-YEAR-OLD ENGRAVING TECHNIQUE SYMBOLIZE A HUNTING SCENE

Rock paintings dating back at least 12,000 years are known to have been created using an engraving technique. The scene depicts a hunting scene with stylized figures, including humans, mountain goats, horses, wolves, foxes, storks, and other animal figures. The depicted scene is reportedly 8 meters long and approximately 70 centimeters wide.

"WE ARE THINKING OF PUTTING A COPY OF THIS PLACE IN THE MUSEUM"

Adıyaman Museum Director Mehmet Alkan, providing information about the rock paintings, said, "The water level is higher than it was about eight years ago. We had a hard time re-examining the rock paintings here. During our underwater examination, we found mussel shells embedded in them, making it difficult to obtain images. However, we plan to clean these mussels and obtain clear images as a result of future work, and then place a replica of the site in the museum."

Deputy Museum Director Mustafa Çelik said, "We came today to examine the rock paintings found in Belören. Normally, it would have been impossible to reach them because the water level was so high. This season, the water is at its lowest. We came and checked, but it still hadn't been fully revealed. It was still about one and a half to two meters deep."