A pair of lynx-shaped gold earrings have been unearthed near eastern Türkiye's Ani Ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The valuables dazzled archaeologists with their star, droplet and crescent motifs engraved with fine workmanship and are set to be exhibited at the Kars Archaeology and Ethnography Museum in 2023 for a limited time after being safely guarded in a warehouse up to now.
The gold lynx earrings were discovered on the historical Silk Road route that passed through the Ani Ruins, which was an important trade center during the Middle Ages, and are now being preserved in the Kars Archaeology and Ethnography Museum.
Weighing 22 grams and featuring star, droplet and crescent motifs engraved on them, the earings will be exhibited for the first time at the museum next year.
Yavuz Çetin, director of Kars Archaeology and Ethnography Museum, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Kars has hosted many civilizations throughout history as it is located on the border of countries and is on the historical Silk Road's route.
Stating that it is possible to see the cultural assets of many civilizations in Kars, Çetin said that there are many historical immovable pieces of cultural heritage such as the Köşevenk and Mağazberk archaeological sites in and around the Ani Ruins.
Çetin noted that people have benefited from animals throughout history and attributed physical or characteristic meanings to them.
"The lynx from the feline family is one of these animals. People were influenced by the ferocity and power of this animal and used it in artistic elements," he said. "The existence of the lynx is also known in our Kars region. A couple of lynx-shaped earrings in our museum were found in the village of Subatan, about 16 kilometers (9.9 miles) north of Ani, and brought to us in 1994."
Çetin stated that they dated the "lynx-shaped" gold earrings to the Middle Ages. He said that they will exhibit the earrings next year.
"Our earrings are kept in the warehouse. We plan to temporarily display them to our public in 2023. I invite everyone to see this magnificent work. Our earrings are lynx-shaped, highly decorated earrings ... The motifs on them show the artistic elegance of the earrings."