A picture of Zeugma painting

Zeugma painting-by hakanozp-Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Zeugma Mosaic Museum


 

Zeugma Mosaic Museum is the biggest mosaic museum in the world containing 1700m2 of mosaics located in the town of Gaziantep, Turkey.

In as much as the museum was opened to the public in 2011, the museum continues to be one of southeast Turkey’s major cultural attractions.

It is 30,000m2 featuring 2448m2 of mosaic and replaces the Bardo National Museum in Tunis as the world’s largest mosaic museum.

Zeugma is said to have been founded as Seleucia by Seleucus I Nicator around 300BC.The founder o the Seleucid Kingdom after serving as an officer in the army of Alexander the Great.

The museum is located on Haci Sani Konukoglu Bulvari, in the Mithatpasa District of Schitkamil.

Here are 10 amazing facts about Zeugma Mosaic Museum.

1. Zeugma Mosaic Museum is the world’s largest mosaic museum

The museum is one of the  world’s most magnificent and luxurious mosaic museum.

It features beautiful mosaics of the traditional city of Zeugma . Some of the artefacts are about 2,000 years old and unusual in design, color, achievement, and perfection.

These include 140m2 of frescoes,4 Roman fountains,20 columns,4 limestone sculptures,a bronze statue of Mars, grave steles, and coffins.

It had replaced the Bardo National Museum in Tunis as the world’s largest mosaic museum. The museum carried the title from 2011 to 2014 and transferred it to Hatay Archeology Museum.

2. Zeugma Mosaic Museum has the greatest beautiful mosaics on the planet

A picture of Pasiphae, Daedalus and the wooden cow, mosaic from Zeugma

Pasiphae, Daedalus and the wooden cow, mosaic from Zeugma, Gaziantep Museum-by Anonymous-Wikimedia Commons

The most famous piece in the museum is the Gypsy Girl mosaic, Fertility Goddess Demeter, Akratos, Okeanos, Euphrates, Tethys, Herakles, Helios, Mars statue, Dionysos, Skyros, Ariadne Eros, Metiochus and Parthenope.

The museum also displays one of the world’s most vital mosaic collections, most of which were excavated at the Roman site of Belkis, Zeugma.

They were dropped to safety before the Birecik Dam flooded much of the positioning forever.

3. The Museum houses the famous Gipsy Girl mosaic

A picture of Gypsy Girl mosaic

The Gypsy Girl Mosaic of Zeugma 1250575-by Nevit Dilmen (talk)-Wikimedia Commons

The most popular artifact in the museum is the mosaic unearthed in the ancient city of Zeugma in 1998 called “Gipsy Girl”.

The reason why this mosaic stands out is that it draws a great deal of attention with her eyes which give the impression like she is watching you wherever you stand.

It has become the symbol of the museum and the city. The mosaic is displayed in a special dark room, with a special lighting system.

4. Zeugma Mosaic Museum offers a blend of History and Art

This museum is of great importance in terms of art and ancient history, standing out with the largeness of the museum building which attracts many foreign tourists to the region every year.

It is home to the most important archaeological discoveries of our age unearthed from Zeugma’s ancient city.

5. The museum is home to rare artefacts from ancient Zeugma City

Zeugma was founded in 3OOBC by one of the generals of Alexander the Great and reached its peak during the Roman rule from the first century BC to the 3rd century AD.

The city was filled with sophisticated and luxuriously decorated villas and treasured parts which now lie across three museum floors along with artworks and artifacts from neighboring areas.

Zeugma got invaded by different rulers and even got destroyed by an earthquake. In the 20th century, the remaining city was newly invaded by looters and a lot of artifacts were destroyed.

The found pieces during the 1993 excavations are preserved in the museum.

6. The Zeugma Mosaic Museum recreates the historical city of  Zeugma City using full-scale models

It recreates the culture and beliefs of the city’s past by using full-scale models of streets, fountains, building walls, and foundation stones constructed according to the architecture of the time.

7. The Museum beautifully presents History using modern technology

The major draws of the museum include not only the historical pieces but also the use of advanced technology and the laser system to recreate missing parts of the mosaic.

There are also light shows on the floor, interactive mosaic panels, and 3-dimensional film shows as well as a virtual reality system that allows visitors to see the fish swimming in the lake.

A unique feature of the museum is the glass-fronted workshop section, which can only be found in very few museums.

8. The Museum is structured within three large units

A picture of Zeugma museum

ZeugmaMuseum13-by Klaus-Peter Simon-Wikimedia Commons

The Zeugma Mosaic Museum was structured within the sort of three large units houses.

The main building is the most building of the museum complex displaying the mosaics that are found in the traditional city of Zeugma.

The second building has a novel collection of lately age church mosaics from the Gaziantep area. The third building is the section comprising the manager’s offices and conference rooms.

9. The Museum attracted more than 3,000 people on it’s first day

On the day the museum opened, it attracted more than 3,000 people, and every year it continues to host thousands of visitors.

Being of the must-visit stops for those visiting Antep, Zeugma Museum is located in the city center. It is a half-an-hour journey from the airport.

Those coming from the central bus station can get to the museum within a short time by local minibusses and buses.

The museum is a 2.5-hour drive from Adana along the E90 and just off the D400 road.

10. It is ranked number 2 in list of can’t- miss -attractions

A picture of teachers and students outside Zeugma museum

Teachers and Schoolkids outside Zeugma Mosaic Museum – Gaziantep (Antep) – Turkey-by Adam Jones-Wikimedia Commons

It is ranked #2 can’t miss attractions in Gaziantep and rated 5 of 5 on Tripadvisor. 

Zeugma Mosaic Museum is open Monday to Sunday from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm, and also during holidays.

It is advisable to go as early as possible because as the day progresses, the place becomes more and more crowded.

Entrance is 20Tl and free of charge for children under 8 years, students, primary and secondary school teachers, and also free for those with a museum card.

The museum card costs 30TL which goes up to one year.

Zeugma Mosaic Museum has the foremost beautiful mosaics of the planet from the Roman and late antique periods.

 

 

 

 

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