Corporate
The Gallipoli Historical Underwater Park Project is an initiative launched to raise awareness about the Gallipoli Campaign. In line with this objective, the latest digital techniques have been employed to identify historically significant wrecks from the First World War in the Dardanelles Strait and the Aegean Sea. The project is an ongoing underwater archaeological research project that aims to help preserve the Gallipoli war wrecks for future generations.
The Gallipoli Historical Area Directorate of the Gallipoli Campaigns was established in 2014 to protect the area where the Gallipoli Campaigns took place, to increase awareness of the Gallipoli Campaigns and to pass this knowledge on to future generations. It is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List as the world's best-preserved battlefield. Just as the traces of the war on land have been preserved, the work that began in 2017 aims to identify the ships that sank during the Gallipoli Campaign, take protective measures, and open them to visitors.
When one thinks of Çanakkale, the first thing that comes to mind is the epic struggle that took place on land on the Gallipoli Peninsula during the First World War. However, although one of the most important naval events of the First World War took place in Çanakkale, this fact is unknown to most people. Most people cannot access these underwater cultural heritage sites, which are war monuments frozen in time at the height of the war's violence and located at different depths in the sea.
Our Presidency is creating 3D maps and 3D applications that explain how the war wrecks lie on the seabed so that everyone can understand what is on the seabed, not just those who have the opportunity to dive.
Although the Gallipoli Campaigns are widely known, the ships that sank during the war and their stories are not well known, except to those who have the opportunity to dive with special permission. In addition to the opportunity to dive in the World War I-themed underwater p
We have always been conscious of the significance of the Gallipoli Campaigns, which altered the course of Turkish and world history, with each trench telling its own epic tale. We rolled up our sleeves to bring the wrecks that shed light on history and reflect the traces of that period in the most detailed manner to the world's attention, in a sense bringing historical information from beneath the water to the surface.
First and foremost, we aimed to proceed in the light of science and with the utmost sensitivity in every aspect. This aspect of history was of paramount importance, encompassing many civilisations and seeking to avoid hurting national sentiments and even to elevate them.
Our aim
was to ensure that the historical underwater heritage of Çanakkale gained worldwide recognition, thereby achieving the importance it deserves in both domestic and international tourism and becoming a globally recognised brand. Our main objectives were to ensure that these values, which have influenced the course of world history, are known to everyone and that the information revealed by scientific data is heard worldwide, by carrying out studies in accordance with the balance between conservation and use and in line with sustainable tourism balances.
What We Did
In line with all these objectives, we carried out joint studies with TÜBİTAK, the South Marmara Development Agency and Istanbul University. Our first step was to compile a list of ships that sank during World War I, followed by location identification studies using sonar and seismic mapping methods. By expanding the scope of our research in the 150 km² area we surveyed, we identified changes in the seabed from ancient times to the present day and located all shipwrecks from the same period to the present day.
At the same time, we conducted species identification studies for biodiversity analysis in the area, as well as studies to ensure the correct selection of equipmen
