#anatolia

[2seeitall]

Roof of the Library of Celsus, Ephesus, Turkey

[furordinaricvs]

Ram shaped gravestones of Tunceli province of Turkey.

Standing tall they feature reliefs of swords, daggers, shields, looms and sun discs.

To whom they belong remains debated, some claim them as Turkish, some as Kurdish and some as Armenian.

[uncleclaudius]

The mosaic floor of a dining room in a Roman villa in Antandros in Anatolia, which was occupied between the 3rd and 6th centuries AD.

[baebeylik]

Xerxes Cuneiform Van. Achaemenid. Lake Van, modern day Türkiye. 486–465 BCE.

Photograph by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen.

[safije]

A Kyrgyz community in Yozgat, Türkiye. Over 35 years ago, 50 families from Afghanistan's Pamir region settled and created a village called Ulupamir in Van Türkiye, some of them then moved to Yozgat.

Source: Anadolu Ajansı

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Zeugma Mars Statue from Turkey, c.250 CE: this statue of Mars, the Roman god of war, was found in the ruins of a city that was ransacked by the Sassanids

This bronze statue stands nearly 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall. The eyes are highlighted by gold and silver inlay, which gives the figure's face a strikingly intense expression.

According to this article:

A bronze statue of Mars, the Roman god of war, was found in the ancient city of Zeugma in the course of an excavation campaign in 1999-2000. The statue represents one of the most interesting and spectacular finds from this city on the banks of the Euphrates river in southern Anatolia.

The god of war is depicted with a spear in one hand and a scourge in the other, as this article describes:

The statue is of great interest on one side for its rarity, as few Roman bronzes of such size are so well preserved, and on the other for its unusual iconography, depicting the standing god as a young athlete. The right arm is raised, its hand closed around a spear that has not been found, while the left is bent at the elbow, with the hand wielding an object that appears to be a scourge with multiple and symmetrical endings.

Beneath the helmet, thick curls frame the face of the young man whose frown is marked by strongly furrowed eyebrows and a very intense gaze, highlighted by silver and gold inlays around the pupils.

It's believed that this statue was hidden in a closet when the city of Zeugma was ransacked by the Sassanids in 253-256 CE:

The small size of the space in which the artifacts were discovered and its place in the general plan of the villa suggests a closet where the precious materials were hidden to escape the pillaging of the city, carried out in 253-256 AD by the Sassanids.

Unfortunately, most of the archaeological site was flooded when the Birecik Dam was constructed back in 2000, and the ruins at Zeugma are now submerged beneath 60 meters (200 feet) of water. This statue was salvaged (along with many other artifacts) during the emergency excavations that occurred as the site was being flooded; it's currently displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Gaziantep, in southern Turkey.

Sources & More Info:

Centro di Conservazione Archeologica: Zeugma Mars Conservation Project

Journal of Roman Archaeology: The Bronze Mars of Zeugma

Packard Humanities Institute: The Rescue Excavations at Zeugma in 2000

Turkish Archaeological News: Zeugma

UNESCO: The Archaeological Site of Zeugma

Turkish Museums: Time Capsule of Ancient Roman Art: Zeugma

Archaeological Institute of America: Troubled Waters

Archaeology Magazine: Zeugma After the Flood

[bobemajses]

Torah Ark curtain from Anatolia, Ottoman Turkey, late 19th century

[along-the-silkroad]

Stone-carved portal of the Great Mosque of Divriği, built by the House of Mengüjek in the early 13th century, under Anatolian Seljuk rule.

The Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği, located in eastern central Turkey beneath the castle of Divriği, is a 13th-century masterpiece of Islamic architecture. Commissioned in 1228–1229 by the Mengücekid ruler Ahmed Shah and his wife Turan Melek, the complex combines a monumental hypostyle mosque with a two-storey hospital (darüşşifa), including a tomb. Designed by the architect Hurrem Shah, it features a richly articulated prayer hall with stone vaults, a domed mihrab, and a central ablutions cupola, while the adjoining hospital is organized around a domed atrium with an oculus and central pool.

The monument is renowned for its highly sophisticated stone vaulting and especially for its exuberant and unique carved decoration, most strikingly displayed on its three monumental portals. Each portal and decorative element is distinct, showcasing intricate geometric and vegetal motifs unparalleled in Islamic art. In contrast, the interior walls remain largely unadorned, heightening the impact of the sculptural entrances. Architecturally, the mosque is notable among Seljuk mosques in Anatolia for lacking a courtyard and organizing all religious functions within an enclosed space, likely due to climatic conditions. The inclusion of a charitable hospital further enhances its significance.