Turkey’s Zeugma Mosaic Museum sees influx of visitors
A general view from the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, April 17, 2022. (AA)


Visitors flock to the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, one of the largest mosaic museums in the world, in southeastern Turkey’s Gaziantep province. The museum, which has an area of 55,000 square meters (592,015 square feet), attracts attention with the 12 pieces of the iconic "Gypsy Girl" mosaic, the bronze statue of Mars, the Roman god of war, along with Roman fountains and many other villa mosaics.

Museum Director Özgür Çomak told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the spring of 2022 has been an active period for the museum. Stating that the number of visitors increased after the harsh winter months, Çomak said, "After the heavy winter conditions in January, we gradually passed the number of 50,000 visitors."

A general view from the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, April 17, 2022. (AA)

Pointing out that there is also a serious density of foreign tourists, Çomak continued: "Recently, we have welcomed Japanese, Spanish and Bulgarian visitors. A higher number of visitors from all over the world will surely visit our museum in the summer."

Zeugma was an ancient Hellenistic era Greek city in Turkey that later became the site of the Roman city of Commagene. The mosaics unearthed at the site are kept at the Zeugma Mosaic Museum. The museum is home to unique ancient artifacts, such as Roman-era fountains, a bronze sculpture of Mars and the famed "Gypsy Girl." Opened in 2011, the Zeugma Mosaic Museum received Turkey's Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards in 2012.