Alexander the Great passed through the Anatolian lands in his quest to conquer the world 2,300 years ago and one of his commanders Seleucus I Nicator later selected the fertile banks of Euphrates River to build his settlement and called it "Seleucia on the Euphrates", a combination of his name and of the river.
When the city came under Roman domination in 64 BC, its name was changed to "Zeugma", meaning "the bridgehead". It proved to be an appropriate choice as the city was at the crossroads of the trading routes as well as various civilisations throughout the ages.
The city maintained its advantageous position and became so rich that it was one of the four largest cities of the Commagene Kingdom until it was destroyed by the Sassanids. Most of the mosaics displayed in the Zeugma Mosaic Museum were unearthed from the villas of noble and rich people of the city.
The most striking mosaics, once covered the walls and even the floors of the villas Poseidon and Euphrates, are currently displayed at the entrance level of the Museum, and they are the best indicators of the riches of the city.
They also brilliantly represent the level attained in the art of mosaics at that era. Depictions on them are particularly realistic and detailed, and experts agree that they are amongst the masterpieces of this art form.
All of the mosaic panels exhibited in the Museum are works of great mastery. Some of them were crafted with five hundred thousand tesserae, and you can't help admiring the realism and vivacity in which the figures were depicted. Mosaics help visitors visualise the city life during the Roman era and provide a glimpse into the belief system of those days.
Nevertheless, the most important piece of the Museum is not one of those large panels, but a comparatively small piece of 2nd century AD, the mosaic of Maenad, which is popularly known as the Gypsy Girl.
It is the only remaining part of the floor mosaic of the dining room of the Maenad Villa. The doleful eyes of the figure made the piece the most loved artefact of the Museum, and she is regarded as the Mona Lisa of Zeugma and the symbol of the ancient city and the museum.
The Museum was awarded first prize in the category of the Cultural Tourism Investments of Turkey both in 2011 and 2012.
In 2012 Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Award, which is considered as the most prestigious awards of Turkey, was given to the Museum.
In 2012 and in 2014 it was voted by the customers of TripAdvisor for the Certificate of Excellence.
How to go Zeugma Mosaic Museum?
The Gaziantep Airport is 20 km to the city. There are direct flight connections with Germany. There are indirect connections to other European countries transferring at Ankara or Istanbul to Gaziantep. There are scheduled intercity coach connections with all cities of Turkey.
