A figure, which appears to spell out “Bismillah” (In the name of Allah), was observed on a marble slab found in a marble quarry in Antalya. Research by Istanbul Technical University has shown that the slab contains 200 to 230 million-year-old fossils. It was found that the marble slab had formed at an age when all seven continents were part of a supercontinent called Pangea.
The extraordinary formation was discovered in a marble quarry belonging to a mining company in the village of Taşkesiği in Antalya’s Korkuteli district.
The markings on the stone, which was being processed in the marble quarry, attracted the attention of miners. Removing dust from the stone, workers noticed that the markings appeared to spell out “Bismillah” in Arabic letters.
The workers wanted to determine the age of the marble slab, containing the figure, which was discovered for the first time in the world, and sent it to Istanbul Technical University for examination. Here, MScs of Geology Engineering Professor Mustafa Kumral, Professor Emin Çiftçi, Professor Murat Budakoğlu, Professor Fahri Esenli and fossil scientist and paleontology expert Professor Muhittin Görmüş analyzed the slab with advanced devices. The microscopic examination of the slab led to an interesting discovery.
The Istanbul Technical University report confirmed the presence of traces of fossils from the Pangaea continent, dating back to between the Triassic and the Cretaceous period, on the limestone forming the marble slab.
It was determined that the marble was formed on the southern coast of a coastal sea (Tethys Sea) located in the central part of the Pangaea continent between 200 and 230 million years ago and moved to its present position during the continent's disintegration between the Triassic and Cretaceous. Pangea is known as the supercontinent, which was formed by the seven continents of the world combined.
The report also emphasized that the figures forming the Arabic word "Bismillah" on the slab were formed completely "normally" in nature and were part of the stone's original texture.
The figure on the marble was found to be the same as the writing style called Taliq used in the early years of Islam. Professor Ahmet Ögke, dean of Akdeniz University's faculty of theology, stated in his report that the markings do, in fact, appear to spell out “Bismillah,” which means “In the name of Allah” in the Arabic language.
