Janissary weapons discovered in Ottoman shipwreck

MUĞLA

New historical artifacts have been unearthed during the excavation of the Kızlan Ottoman Shipwreck off the coast of Datça in the western province of Muğla.

The discoveries, believed to belong to the Ottoman Empire, shed light on the ship's identity and the era in which it sank.

During this year's excavations, significant findings such as 14 rifles belonging to the Janissaries, the elite soldiers of the Ottoman Empire, around 2,500 lead musket balls and exploded cannonballs, revealed that the ship was in combat. Additionally, a set of blue-painted porcelain bowls, thought to have been produced by China for Islamic markets, suggests the vessel was on a special or diplomatic mission. The fact that the porcelains were found packaged shows that they were gifts.

Other artifacts — including pipes, boxwood combs, copper vessels, ceramic jugs and jars — believed to belong to the ship's crew and soldiers were also discovered. The presence of ceramics produced in the Djerba region of Tunisia suggests the ship may have originated from North Africa. The Kızlan Shipwreck is now considered the first Ottoman shipwreck found in Turkish waters to contain Janissary soldiers' artifacts.

While wooden pieces were unearthed from the starboard side of the ship, important information about the construction technique was also obtained. All the findings suggest the vessel sank in the latter half of the 17th century after a conflict.

The excavation, led by Dokuz Eylül University's Center for Underwater Research (SUDEMER) as part of the Blue Heritage Project, is set to be completed in 2025.