/ 15 November 2004

Researcher claims to have found Atlantis

An American researcher claims to have discovered the site of the mythological city of Atlantis at a depth of 1 600m on the seabed between Cyprus and Syria , reported local media on Monday.

Robert Sarmast, using sonar scanning, found remnants of ”roads, drains and enormous walls” on the bottom of the sea off Cyprus, according to national television.

The finds are ”identical” to the descriptions of Atlantis by philosopher Plato, according to Sarmast, who said a hill found by the research team matches Plato’s description of the acropolis of Atlantis ”with perfect precision”.

To continue the study at the site 80km south-east of Cyprus will cost $250 000, according to the researcher.

The story of Atlantis, a fabled utopia destroyed in ancient times by an earthquake, has captured the imagination of numerous scholars ever since it was first described by Plato.

Some have claimed to find it in the Atlantic Ocean, while others have placed it in southern Greece and others in the South China Sea, though the exact location remains a mystery. — Sapa-DPA