Did Atlantis Really Exist? Scientists Discover Civilization Under Water
A recent archaeological discovery beneath the waters of Lake Issyk Kul in the Kyrgyz Republic is fueling speculation about โlost civilizations โขand drawing parallels to the โฃlegendary Atlantis.โ Researchers have uncovered the remains of a โsignificant settlement, dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries, preserved remarkably well underwater.
The team, led by โValery Kolchenko from โคthe โNational Academy of โฃsciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, examined four points along the lake shoreline, at depths of one to four meters. Their findings, reported by the Dailyโฃ Mail, revealed collapsed structures including pottery buildings, stone grain mills, and buildings constructed with stone and wooden beams. Researchers believe these โฃstructures functioned as mosques, baths, andโ madrassas – Islamic schools.
Further examination atโ three other points uncovered 13th-centuryโ Muslim burials and mud bricks, both round and square in shape.The orientation of the burial frames, facing north towards the Muslim Qibla in โMecca, indicates aโฃ deliberateโ adherence to customary Islamic burial rituals.
“The site we studied was a city or major trading center,” Kolchenko stated.
Scientists are utilizing spectrometric dating โto accurately determine the ageโฃ ofโ the discoveredโฃ artifacts, a โmethodโ considered โคreliable for organic materials. The evidence strongly suggests the existence of an ancient settlement beneath the lake.
The submerged city is believed to be Toru-Aygyr, a once-thrivingโ commercial hub along the Silkโ Road – the historic network connecting Europe and Asia. The city was devastated in the early 15th century, likely by a powerful earthquake. Interestingly, researchers believe the โฃinhabitants โhad already abandoned theโ city before the disaster struck.
“According to our assessment, when the disaster occurred, residents โhad already โคleft the settlement,” Kolchenko โexplained.
Following the destruction, the region underwent notable demographic shifts, and the medieval settlements disappeared, eventually being replaced by nomadic populations and โthe small villages โขthat now dot the lake’s shoreline.
This โdiscovery isn’t isolated. Submerged settlements have been found โขin other โขparts of the world, โincluding โRavenser Odd,โฃ a medieval โคtown off โฃthe coast of Yorkshire, England, which earned the nickname “Yorkshire’s Atlantis.” โ These discoveries often evoke comparisons to the mythical island of Atlantis, a legendary advanced civilization said to haveโฃ been lost beneath the waves.
While Atlantisโฃ remains firmly rooted in myth, theโ ongoingโ discoveries of submerged settlements continue to โcapture the creativity and remind us of the fragility of civilizations and the power of natural disastersโ to โคreshape landscapes and โhistories.
(The author is โaโข participant โin the Ministry of manpower’s Internship Hubโค program at detikcom.)
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