Turkey's Largest Mosaic Museum The Hatay Archaeological Museum opened its doors in 2014, featuring all the elements of a modern museum. The museum houses significant artifacts from various historical periods including Paleolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Hittite, Hellenistic, Roman, Eastern Roman, Seljuk and Ottoman. It boasts one of the world's most prominent mosaic collections due to its exquisite, large, numerous and high-quality tessellated mosaics made of unique coloured stones. The total area of the exhibited mosaics is 3250 m2. Additionally, the museum has a rich collection of coins minted in Antakya. Museum Exhibits The Magnificence Of The Geography The museum's collection comprises artifacts discovered in Antioch (Antakya), Alexandria (İskenderun), Daphne (Harbiye), Tell Atchana, Tell Tayinat, Seleukeia Pieria (Samandağ), Epiphaneia (Erzin), Dörtyol, Altınözü, Kırıkhan, and Hassa. The architectural and other findings, mostly from the Roman period, showcase the region's splendour. The museum boasts several attention-grabbing mosaics, including 'The Mosaic of the Abandoned Ariadne', 'The Yakto Mosaic', 'The Satyr and Hermaphrodite Mosaic', 'The Seasons Mosaic', 'The Birth of Venus Mosaic', and 'The Artemis Mosaic'. Additionally, visitors should not miss the Neo-Hittite statue of King Suppiluliuma, the Arsuz Steles, the Assyrian Orthostat, the Tyche of Antioch, the Antioch Sarcophagus, and a pair of lion column bases. While You Are Here... Other archaeological sites to visit include the Antakya Hippodrome, where the first Olympic Festival was held, the temple, the rock-cut tombs of Beşikli Cave, and the Titus-Vespasian tunnel in the ancient city of Seleukeia Pieria (Samandağ).
HATAY MUSEUM
