NICOSIA – An American
researcher on the trail of the lost city of Atlantis has discovered
evidence of man-made structures submerged in the sea between Cyprus and
Syria, a member of his team said on Saturday.
Robert Sarmast, who is convinced the fabled city lurks in the watery
depths off Cyprus, will give details of his findings on Sunday.
"Something has been
found to indicate very strongly that there are man-made structures
somewhere between Cyprus and Syria," a spokesperson for the mission
told Reuters.
The mystery of Atlantis,
both whether it existed and why it disappeared, has fired the
imagination of explorers for decades.
Many believe the ancient
civilisation was destroyed in a massive flood, a cataclysm which many
ancient cultures believe occurred around 9,000 BC.
Greek mythology says
Atlantis was a powerful nation whose residents were so corrupted by
greed and power that Zeus destroyed it.
Theories place Atlantis
either somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, or the Greek island of Santorini,
or off the Celtic Ridge of Britain or even further afield in the South
China Sea.
Sarmast's theory is that
Cyprus is the pinnacle of Atlantis, with the rest of it about 1.6 km (1
mile) below sea level.
His expedition took
place some 70 miles (110 km) off the eastern coast of Cyprus towards
Syria.