Environment protection group EKODOSD and its President Bahattin Sürücü have called for the area of Latmos, known to be home to prehistoric times with its important rock paintings, to be protected.

The Latmos region, one of the places attracting attention with its natural beauties and historical structure, is on the route of local and foreign tourists who want to discover the mystery of history.

While the research carried out to protect the region and reveal its historical importance continues, the important rock paintings of Latmos also shed light on prehistoric periods.

Pointing out the importance of the region, Sürücü, stated that the Latmos Mountains should be protected as a whole with its nature, history, culture and the people living in it and carried to the future.

Noting that the Latmos mountains are a world heritage, he said: “Beşparmak Mountains, whose ancient name was Latmos, are a natural wonder where rocks fall on top of each other as if they were falling from the sky and magnificent images are created.

“Many civilizations have come and gone in Latmos throughout the 8,000 years of known human history. After the first rock painting discovered in Söğütözü in 1994, nearly 200 paintings have been found to date.

“In addition, many paintings drawn by prehistoric artists are waiting to be discovered in thousands of rocks in the Latmos region. Unfortunately, in the Latmos Mountains, mining operations have been carried out and expanded at a great pace in recent years. They have caused irreversible damage to the region, which is very rich in terms of natural and cultural resource values. This must be prevented and the Latmos region protected holistically.”