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

Almost all of the rock paintings were found to be covered in mussel shells. Preliminary cleaning teams determined the paintings were intact. The plan is to thoroughly clean the rock paintings in the coming days, create a copy, and display them at the Adıyaman Museum.

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.

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."