The world-famous historical city of Iznik, which has been the capital of four civilizations and a contender for UNESCO's preservation list, is set to open its Iznik Archaeology Museum with special exhibitions of ancient treasures.

The museum has attracted the attention of many local and foreign tourists with its artifacts spanning a 5,000-year-old history. In particular, an ancient message engraved on the sarcophagus of Antigonus I, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, has aroused particular interest around the world.

Translated by expert archaeologists, the emotional 2,500-year-old message unveils the grief over the death of Antigonos I.

"I, the sad Arete, cry out with all body and soul from the tomb of Antigonos. I pull my hair out from grief and I express myself by crying. This ill luck, the death, has captured me instead of emancipating this precious man," the engraving reads.

Unsurpassed museum

The foundation of the Iznik Archaeology Museum was laid in 2020. With the completion of the construction, the museum's inauguration ceremony is scheduled to take place shortly and surely will be one of the prominent museums of Europe with its rich data and ancient artifacts dating back to the Neolithic Age.

The museum also houses a marble board game from the Roman period, the sarcophagus of the Greek hero Achilles with spectacular engravings, and the sarcophagi of Antigonos I and noble families, which feature dazzling engravings.

Speaking to Ihlas News Agency (IHA), former museum director and archaeologist Taylan Sevil said: "The new museum contains quite significant movable cultural assets. There are artifacts of many civilizations from prehistoric times to the present. In that sense, the museum fills a huge gap here. It invites people to witness world civilization."