Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism

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World's oldest shipwreck found off Turkey's Kekova Island

Owns the shipwreck and announced the discovery

Archaeologists call the shipwreck found off Turkey's Kekova Island the world's oldest. It dates to between 4,400 and 4,700 years ago, the Early Bronze Age, around the time the Great Pyramid was built.

Updated Oct 18

Fragment of world's oldest peace treaty unearthed in Turkey

New Capabilities

As of September 2026: Oversees excavations and announced the fragment's identification

Archaeologists in central Turkey have found a cuneiform fragment belonging to a copy of the Treaty of Kadesh, the oldest known peace treaty, signed around 1269 BC by Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II and Hittite king Hattusili III. The tablet piece, unearthed at the ancient Hittite capital of Hattusha, preserves part of the agreement's rules on how refugees were to be returned and treated.

Updated Sep 27