Quake-hit Gaziantep museum reopens with unseen artifacts

GAZİANTEP

Gaziantep Archaeology Museum, damaged in the Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes, is set to reopen to visitors next month following extensive reinforcement and restoration works, introducing 327 artifacts to the public for the first time.

The museum, which holds a collection of 3,235 artifacts spanning geological, Paleolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Hittite, Persian, Greek, Roman, Islamic and Ottoman periods, will present redesigned exhibition spaces across 102 display cases.

Within the complex, 18 artifacts are placed in the outdoor garden area and 52 in indoor open-air display
sections.
Museum Director Özgür Çomak said the renewed presentation significantly expands the institution’s public offering. “Among the pieces being exhibited for the first time is the Mithras relief.

This is a highly important artifact,” he said. The marble relief, dated to the 2nd century A.D., is regarded as the only known archaeological evidence of Mithraic belief identified within a military legion settlement in the Zeugma garrison area.

Another highlight is a baked-clay flask uncovered during 2017 excavations at Karkamış Ancient City.

Dating back around 3,700 years to the Middle Bronze Age, the vessel features a stylised smiling face motif resembling modern emoji expressions and will be displayed in the Karkamış Hall for the first time.

Çomak also noted that the museum will exhibit military equipment used by ancient legions, including helmets, armour, and battlefield instruments linked to the 4th Scythian Legion in Zeugma.

The museum will also showcase skeletal remains of the extinct Maraş Elephant. Officials say the renewed exhibition concept was designed to create a more chronological and immersive visitor experience, guiding audiences through thousands of years of Anatolian and Mesopotamian history.

Çomak added that restoration and exhibition preparations are nearing completion, inviting visitors to the reopening once the museum opens its doors.