Zeugma Mosaic Museum

The Zeugma Mosaic Museum is one of the largest mosaic museums in the world, housing an extraordinary collection of Roman mosaics salvaged from the ancient city of Zeugma — a Hellenistic-Roman trading city on the Euphrates that was among the most prosperous cities of the ancient Middle East in the first and second centuries CE.

The mosaics are exceptional. The collection includes the famous "Gypsy Girl," a large floor mosaic depicting a young woman with strikingly expressive eyes that has become the symbol of Gaziantep. There are mythological scenes, nature panoramas, and portraits of remarkable artistic quality — floor coverings that would have decorated the townhouses of wealthy Zeugma merchants. The museum building is modern and well designed, with the largest pieces displayed at ground level in a way that conveys their original scale. Allow two to three hours; the collection is vast. This is genuinely world-class and not to be missed.

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A story
When archaeologists realised in 2000 that the rising waters of the Birecik Dam reservoir would submerge the ancient city of Zeugma within weeks, they launched the most intensive emergency archaeological excavation in Turkish history. Hundreds of volunteers worked around the clock to remove the mosaic floors before they were lost forever. The operation saved many of the greatest pieces now in the museum, but significant portions of the city still lie submerged under the reservoir.