In 1975-1976, the floor mosaic of a Roman bath structure was enclosed in a building and the museum was established. Narlıkuyu Bay was a sea gateway for worshipping and visiting Heaven and Hell sinkholes during the Ancient and Byzantine Periods. In the Middle Ages, this settlement, known as Porto Calamie, had a magnificent bathhouse. The only surviving elements of the bath structure are the water trough and the floor mosaic in the bathing section, which date back to the 4th century AD. The bath was built by Poimenios, who apparently held a high position in the Eastern Roman Empire administration. It was constructed on a fresh water spring that passes through the depths of the Cennet sinkhole and mixes with the sea in the small bay in Narlıkuyu. The floor mosaic, composed of black, white, and yellow stones, depicts geometric patterns, local bird and flower motifs, and the three goddesses Aglaia, Thalia, and Euphrosine, daughters of Zeus, the chief god of the ancient period, and Eurynome, the goddess of harmony. The three sisters are known as Kharites. This name is derived from the ancient Greek word kharis, which means brightness, radiance, and beauty. The aforementioned goddesses are the protectors of all branches of art and the inspiration of human beings and gods. The inscription on the goddesses depicted in the mosaic reads, "O friend, if you ask who found the hidden source of the water of this beautiful bath, know that it is Poimenios, the righteous ruler of the holy islands and the friend of the emperors."
MUSEUMS NEARBY
MERSİN KANLIDİVANE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
MERSİN SİLİFKE ATATÜRK HOUSE AND ETHNOGRAPHY MUSEUM
MERSİN SİLİFKE AYATEKLA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
MERSİN SİLİFKE MUSEUM
MERSİN SİLİFKE UZUNCABURÇ ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
MERSİN SİLİFKE CHASM OF HEAVEN AND HELL
SIDE ANTIQUE THEATRE
