Project Treasure: unlocking hidden wonders of the Aegean and Black seas

The Turkish town of Enez offers an unusual getaway: an ancient cultural heritage lying beneath the Aegean Sea.

Two kilometres offshore, at a depth of 18 metres, divers can visit an underwater museum showing replicas of original pieces found in the region such as a winged statue, a stele, a lion figure, and a reproduction of the ancient wall of the city. It is also a sheltered area of biodiversity.

The initiative is part of European Union project 'Treasure', which also includes Bulgaria, Moldova, and Romania, to highlight cultural treasures around the Black and Agean seas.

Enez and the other project partners have focused their attention on cultural heritage and sea activities. Bulgaria has concentrated efforts on diving classes for students, Moldova on opening a Touristic Centre, and the creation of a digital atlas, showing the underwater spots and the most interesting places in the four partner countries. Romania's Contribution is a 3D hologram with video footage that will display treasures brought to the surface, the knowledge of which will then be shared among the different partners.

Remziye Irmak, is the Treasure Project Coordinator, in Enez.

"The project is about protecting the heritage, making an artificial reef and developing diving tourism in Enez. For making an underwater museum we used the heritage of Enez because this is a very historical place and no-one knows about it in the world."

The original historical artifacts are safely stored, two and a half hours away from Enez, in the Archaeological Museum in Edirne.

Edirne was the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1369 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's capital.

Local historian and Tour Guide Şafak Yüksel highlights the most interesting piece of the