Turkey’s first underwater museum has opened in the town
of Side in Antalya. The Side Underwater Museum, which was constructed by the
chamber of Maritime Trade Antalya Branch (IMEAK), officially opened over the
weekend in Antalya’s Manavgat district with 110 sculptures.
IMRAK Chairman İnanç Kendiroğlu said the sculptures
that featured the richness of Anatolian civilization had been finished in just
nine months and placed underwater in Side.
The museum is the first and only one of its kind in Turkey and Europe,
Kendiroğlu said, adding that they were planning to improve diving tourism and
open underwater museums in Kemer, Alanya and the Antalya provincial center in
the coming years.
Kendiroğlu said the sculptures had been designed to
avoiding damaging the natural environment underwater. He said the area of the
underwater museum was closed to sea traffic, adding that everyone holding a
certificate could dive there for free.
The owner of Side Silver Diving School, Ahmet Gülaydın,
said diving tourism had increased by 30 percent in Side after the opening of
his school, adding that they had first promoted the museum in Germany, the
Netherlands and Belgium. Diving tourists mostly choose Mexico, Egypt, NewZealand, India and Turkey, he added.
The museum aims to demonstrate the interaction between
art and environmental science and form a complex reef structure for marine life
to colonize, inhabit and increase biomass on a grand scale.
Under several historical and cultural themes ranging
from the “Turkish War of Independence” to “Whirling Dervishes,” “Camel Trains”
and “Flower Gardens,” 110 sculptures are now on display under the Mediterranean
waters. The sculptures were constructed from specialized materials used to
foster coral life.
The sculptures were lowered into place at three
different depth zones that will be accessible to all divers, whether amateur,
semi-professional or professional.
Source: hurriyetdailynews