The Zeugma Mosaic Museum, located in Gaziantep in southeastern Türkiye near the Syrian border, is one of the largest mosaic museums in the world. Since its opening, it has welcomed 3.15 million visitors. Gaziantep Governor Kemal Çeber stated, “Since its establishment, our museum has hosted 3.15 million visitors. We estimate that 25% of our visitors are foreigners.”
The museum is famous for the “Gypsy Girl” mosaic, the Mars Statue and villa floor mosaics found during excavations along the Euphrates River. The mosaics in the museum include examples from churches from the late antique period and early Syriac and Christian iconography.
In addition to the 2,500-square-meter (26,910-square-foot) mosaics from Zeugma Ancient City, the museum also showcases Roman-era sculptures, columns, and fountains. One of the most important pieces, the “Gypsy Girl” mosaic from the second century A.D., is among the most popular exhibits.
Additionally, mosaics brought from the United States in 2018, comprising 12 pieces, are also displayed and are a key attraction for visitors.
Gaziantep Governor Kemal Çeber highlighted that this year has seen the highest visitor numbers at the museum, stating, “We have broken a visitor record at the Zeugma Mosaic Museum. The museum opened in 2011 and covers a total area of 50,000 square meters, including indoor spaces. Of this, 7,000 square meters is dedicated to exhibiting mosaics. Currently, we have 3,200 square meters of mosaics on display.”
He continued, “Most of these mosaics are from Zeugma Ancient City. Excavations in the ancient city are still ongoing. These mosaics truly showcase the peak of Roman-period art. The museum also displays columns, sculptures, and other artifacts alongside the mosaics. This year, the museum has already hosted 442,000 visitors in the first 10.5 months, setting a record. We hope to reach 450,000 visitors by the end of the year.”
Governor Çeber emphasized that the Zeugma Mosaic Museum is also important globally, saying, “Since its establishment, the museum has welcomed 3.15 million visitors, and we estimate that 25% of them are foreign guests. Zeugma is not just Türkiye’s heritage but the world’s. Even if we ignore everything else, people will visit Gaziantep to see the Zeugma Ancient City and Zeugma Mosaic Museum.”
“In addition to Zeugma, excavations are ongoing in five ancient cities. These include Zeugma, Karkamış, Yesemek, Dülük and Rumkale. We believe that Gaziantep will be known not only for its industry, commerce and agriculture but also for tourism. I can confidently say that we are becoming a major player in tourism,” he added.