A 1,050-square-meter single-piece floor mosaic that survived the Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes without damage is being displayed at the Necmi Asfuroğlu Archaeology Museum in Hatay.
Located in the central district of Antakya, the museum exhibits 340 artifacts from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Medieval and Islamic periods, along with the single-piece floor mosaic uncovered during hotel construction works in 2010.
The museum-hotel concept building, which was closed after the Feb. 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes and reopened on June 12, 2024 following maintenance and restoration works, continues to welcome visitors.
Visitors have shown strong interest in the artifact, believed to date back to the sixth century A.D. and regarded as “the world’s largest single-piece mosaic.”
Hatay Governor Mustafa Masatlı said that the museum has hosted 69,758 visitors since reopening, adding, “This mosaic developed wave-like deformations during two separate earthquakes that struck here in 526 and 528 A.D. and later faced several more earthquakes. During the Feb. 6 earthquakes, described as the disaster of the century, our mosaic suffered no damage.”
Masatlı continued: “Our city, which has faced earthquakes many times throughout history, still stands despite carrying the traces of disasters in its ancient heritage and history. Drawing strength from our history and civilization, we continue restoring the structures that were destroyed or damaged. Our city is also a museum of mosaics. In this sense, we welcome people from Türkiye and around the world who are interested in history and such structures.”
