Viewing platform installed for Mars statue

GAZİANTEP

A viewing platform has been installed for the approximately 2,000-year-old bronze “Mars” statue, one of the key artifacts at the Zeugma Mosaic Museum in the southeastern province of Gaziantep, facilitating visitors to see the work up close.

Symbolizing abundance and power, the statue is among the prominent pieces displayed at the museum, which was established in 2011 by the Culture and Tourism Ministry on a 30,000-square-meter site along the historic Silk Road. A 16-square-meter viewing platform has been constructed to enable a closer examination of the statue’s details.

Thanks to the platform, which measures approximately 2 meters in length and 8 meters in width, visitors can now better observe the statue’s gold- and silver-inlaid eyes.

Gaziantep Museum Director Özgür Çomak told state-run Anadolu Agency that the museum houses works of major significance for world art history.

Stating that they have received positive feedback from visitors, Çomak said the statue is the only life-size bronze sculpture of Mars in the world.

“Its eyes are made of gold and silver. It is displayed on a column. Previously, visitors could only view the statue from a distance. With the approximately 16-square-meter viewing platform we built, they can now see it more closely and discover its grandeur,” he said.

Çomak added that the platform can accommodate around 40 visitors at a time and has a total carrying capacity of 100 people.

Visitor Selvi Ayhan, who came from Hatay, said she was touring the museum for the third time, noting that during her previous visits she had viewed the statue from afar. Thanks to the new platform, she said, they had the opportunity to examine the work more closely.

Depicting a young male warrior, the statue is particularly striking for its gaze. The helmeted figure’s curly, voluminous hair, parted at the center, frames his forehead and face and extends to the nape of his neck. The statue’s pupils are inlaid with gold and silver, while its facial expression highlights anger and determination.