Umayyad-era sunken marine port discovered in Aqaba Gulf

A sunken marine port structure in the Gulf of Aqaba was unveiled on Monday as findings of Jordan’s first underwater archaeological expedition tracing ruins of the Islamic city of Ayla were announced.

Jordan’s first underwater archaeological expedition traced ruins of the Islamic city of Ayla
in the Gulf of Aqaba [Credit: JREDS]

The unearthed port dates back to the Umayyad period towards the end of the Fatimid period (650-1116 AD), according to the findings of the survey, which also unveiled a 50-metre-long and eight-metre-wide barrier.

“The barrier is connected to a solid mud floor which extends outside the coast. The solid mud floor was found to be interspersed with a two-lane corridor which connects the port and the sea gate to the city and its stores. It is suggested that the lane was used for the transport of the port’s imports and exports,” the survey’s results, which were made available to The Jordan Times, read.

The Royal Marine Conservation Society of Jordan (JREDS), which implemented the survey project in partnership with different stakeholders, announced the results during a conference in Aqaba.

JREDS implemented the survey in partnership with the USAID-funded project  "Sustainable Cultural Heritage Through Engagement of Local Communities", and in cooperation with the Department of Antiquities.

HRH Princess Basma, president of JREDS, said on Monday at the conference that the society seeks to protect the marine environment while also ensuring sustainable development.

“Understanding our cultural and historical values is a tool to increase our commitment towards Jordan and the conservation of its heritage and values,” a press statement issued by JREDS quoted Princess Basma as saying.

Ehab Eid, JREDS' executive director, said that experts involved in the survey expect that the marine port discovered in the Gulf of Aqaba to include other components to be unveiled, such as a furnace for the production of pottery, and spaces for the maintenance and manufacture of ships and sails among other facilities.

“The stone mortar found at the site is likely to have been produced there. Work is under way to identify the extent of the activity of the port of Ayla, which links the commercial road from the Levant, Hijaz, Egypt and the Maghreb with the maritime navigational route that reaches India, east and south Asia and Africa,” Eid told The Jordan Times.

He noted that the society has deployed local experts to document the history of the Islamic city of Ayla, underlining that it also sought the support of experts from the Egyptian Department of Antiquities, who are specialised in underwater archaeology.

Also on Monday, the society and Jordan’s Department of Antiquities signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in the areas of field research, educational and environmental awareness, protection of archaeological sites and organising events that are consistent with the protection of natural and cultural heritage.

Author: Hana Namrouqa | Source: The Jordan Times [February 27, 2018]

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Ancient human remains, Ice Age animal bones found in giant Mexican cave

Archaeologists exploring the word’s biggest flooded cave in Mexico have discovered ancient human remains at least 9,000 years old and the bones of animals who roamed the earth during the last Ice Age.

Divers from the Great Mayan Aquifer project (L) exploring the Sac Actun underwater cave system, where Mayan and 
Pleistocene bones and cultural artifacts have been found submerged, near Tulum, Mexico [Credit: GAM/INAH]

A group of divers recently connected two underwater caverns in eastern Mexico to reveal what is believed to be the biggest flooded cave on the planet, a discovery that could help shed new light on the ancient Maya civilization.

The Yucatan peninsula is studded with monumental relics of the Maya people, whose cities drew upon an extensive network of sinkholes linked to subterranean waters known as cenotes.

Remains of a mask in the Sac Actun underwater cave in Mexico's Quintana Roo state 
[Credit: GAM/INAH]

Researchers say they found 248 cenotes at the 347-km (216-mile) cave system known as Sac Actun, near the beach resort of Tulum. Of the 200 archaeological sites they have discovered there, around 140 are Mayan.

Some cenotes acquired particular religious significance to the Maya, whose descendants continue to inhabit the region.

Remains of a Pleistocene bear from 2.5 million years ago, in the Sac Actun underwater cave 
in Quintana Roo state, Mexico [Credit: GAM/INAH]

Apart from human remains, they also found bones of giant sloths, ancient elephants and extinct bears from the Pleistocene period, Mexico’s Culture Ministry said in a statement.

The cave’s discovery has rocked the archaeological world.

Researchers from Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), say they have discovered 
200 archaeological sites in the cave system [Credit: GAM/INAH]

“I think it’s overwhelming. Without a doubt it’s the most important underwater archaeological site in the world,” said Guillermo de Anda, researcher at Mexico’s National Anthropology and History Institute (INAH).

De Anda is also director of the Gran Acuifero Maya (GAM), a project dedicated to the study and preservation of the subterranean waters of the Yucatan peninsula.

According to the INAH, water levels rose 100 meters at the end of the Ice Age, flooding the cave system and leading to “ideal conditions for the preservation of the remains of extinct megafauna from the Pleistocene.”

The Pleistocene geological epoch, the most recent Ice Age, began 2.6 million years ago and ended around 11,700 years ago.

Source: Reuters [February 20, 2018]

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