Zeugma Ancient City

Zeugma has become a center of attraction as one of the largest and most populous cities of the Romanperiod, with its houses overlooking the Euphrates River, river trade, and the mobility in social life. Merchants, commanders and wealthy people who settled in Zeugma built many villas on the scenic terraces; master artists used colored stones to adorn the floors of these villas with the mosaics of mythological scenes and geometric motifs of the ancient world.

Zeugma drew the attention of the world with its unique mosaics depicting mythological Greek gods on the floor of a pool or a dining hall, and frescoes on the walls of the houses, and with the bullas (about 100,000 bulla-seal imprints) found in all ancient cities around the world.

Excavations in most of the mosaic villas in the city were completed and the recovered artifacts were moved to the Zeugma Mosaic Museum (Zeugma Mozaik Müzesi). Those that could not be excavated were flooded by the Birecik Dam (Birecik Barajı). The villas located in the higher parts of the city were taken under protection and opened to visitors. Archaeological excavations in the city are still going on.