Artifacts from ancient Karkamış on display in Ankara

ANKARA

An exhibition titled “Hittite Karkamış on the Banks of the Euphrates: New Discoveries and New Contributions” has opened at the capital Ankara's Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, featuring groundbreaking artifacts from the ancient city of Karkamış.

The display brings together key finds — many exhibited for the first time — from Turkish-Italian excavations at the southeastern province of Gaziantep site along the Euphrates, ongoing since 2011.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ankara Governor Vasip Şahin said the exhibition presents finds from Karkamış, which he described as the heart of Mesopotamia, and stressed that Anatolia should be regarded as a vast open-air museum. He said Anatolia, including Karkamış, is a land where what lies beneath the ground is far richer than what lies above it.

Deputy Director General for Cultural Assets and Museums Bülent Gönültaş explained that the exhibition was assembled by bringing together 57 artifacts from the collections of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, the Istanbul Archaeology Museums and the Gaziantep Museum.

He highlighted Karkamış's nearly century-long excavation history, which began with early British digs, and emphasized that recent years have yielded many significant artifacts through Turkish-Italian collaboration, with the exhibition presenting the outcomes of this ongoing work.

Sanko Holding Chair Adil Sani Konukoğlu stressed that they supported the project out of a sense of responsibility toward history, the land and cultural heritage. Emphasizing that societies that fail to protect their past cannot secure their future, Konukoğlu stated they covered the ancient city of Karkamış with a protective roof designed to be dismantled and moved elsewhere without damaging the site. “We never laid foundations or poured concrete that would harm the history or the soil beneath,” he said.

Italian Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Francesco da Stefani Spadofora stated the exhibition represents an important outcome of the archaeological work carried out at Karkamış since 2011 through cooperation between Türkiye and Italy, under the leadership of excavation head Professor Nicola Marchetti. He noted that Italy conducts 15 archaeological missions in Türkiye and oversees restoration projects, with many scientists visiting each year. Describing Türkiye as one of the world’s richest countries in terms of archaeology, Spadofora wished success for the new discoveries and ongoing studies.

Marchetti said that they prepared both printed and digital books to present the artifacts uncovered at Karkamış and the current stage of the excavations to the public. He noted that the exhibition features 57 artifacts as well as nine orthostats, large rectangular stone blocks typically placed at the lower sections of walls. Marchetti noted that the work would not have been possible without the support of SANKO Holding and the universities involved.

Ankara Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism Erhan Karakaya said the ancient city of Karkamış is located within the borders of Gaziantep’s Karkamış district, while its lower city lies across the border in Syria’s Jarablus region. He said Karkamış’s geographical and historical position makes it a universally important center not only for Anatolian civilizations but also for the cultural spheres of Mesopotamia and the eastern Mediterranean.

Karakaya noted that scientific excavations launched in the early 20th century were interrupted due to war conditions and were resumed nearly 100 years later in 2011 by an international scientific team led by Marchetti of Bologna University. He said the exhibition includes Iron Age artifacts dating from the 12th to the 6th centuries BC, including cylinder and stamp seals, bronze figurines, terracotta vessels and decorated stone works, which shed light on Karkamış’s political, administrative and artistic life.

The archaeological excavations at Karkamış are carried out by the Turkish-Italian Committee under the auspices of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, in cooperation with the Gaziantep Governor’s Office, Gaziantep Municipality, Istanbul University, Gaziantep University and Bologna University.

Hosted by the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, the exhibition will remain open to visitors until March 26.