Ancient city's 155-square-meter mosaic to open for public


Restoration and conservation work is being conducted on a 155-square-meter mosaic found during an excavation in 2009 in the ancient city of Perre, one of the five biggest cities of the Kingdom of Commagene, located in present-day Adıyaman province. The teams of the Adıyaman Directorate of Museum completed a rough cleaning of the mosaic, which dates back to the Roman period, by exposing its surface, which had been protected by a modern roof after its discovery.

Gaziantep Restoration and Conversation Regional Laboratory Directorate teams have continued their dedicated work on the mosaic.

Scheduled to reopen for the public soon, the restored area, which was closed for the Perre Ancient City Environmental Arrangement and Application Project that was put out to tender in 2013, now includes a walking trail.

The unique mosaic unearthed in Perre, one of the five biggest cities of the Kingdom of Commagene, will be exhibited after the restoration and conversation works are fully complete.

The director of Adıyaman Museum, Mehmet Alkan, made a statement and said they conducted excavations under the leadership of the museum directorate and managed to reveal the mosaic thanks to these works.

Pointing out that all 125-square-meters of the unearthed mosaic are in great shape, Alkan continued: "A scene of a wild goat nibbling on grape branches and leaves and bird descriptions lies in the middle of the mosaic. The outer borders feature heart motifs, three-dimensional globe figures and octagonal geometric modules. In 2016, the area where the mosaic is situated was preserved with a roof. Restoration and conversation have been conducted by Gaziantep Restoration and Conversation Regional Laboratory Directorate teams. After these processes, it will be opened for visitors."