MEHMET ÖNAL (GAZIANTEP MUSEUM ARCHEOLOGIST)
1/3 of the Zeugma Ancient City is under the Birecik Dam Lake. But 2/3 of the ancient city is in the part where water cannot reach. The theatre, baths, frescoes, agora, streets and villas of the city lie underground. Many frescoes and mosaics were found during the excavations. The current halls of the Gaziantep Museum are not sufficient to display them. However, as soon as these are exhibited, they will rise to the first place in Turkey in terms of both frescoes and mosaics. During the Zeugma excavations, the number of seal impressions reached 100 thousand, quadrupling the world record. What needs to be done from now on to bring the rich ruins of Zeugma to light and build an open-air and archaeological museum here :
1. The success of the Zeugma Rescue Excavations can be attributed to the fact that it has been excavated continuously for the last two years. If in Zeugma in the last two years; If excavations were carried out for 1, 1.5 months a year, Zeugma would be under water today, just like Samsat.
2.Zeugma rescue excavations, which have been ongoing since 1993, have shown that universities, which are responsible for educating students who can only devote 1 or 1.5 months to excavations every year, fail in rescue excavations. For this reason, it is not the universities that can carry out long-term emergency rescue excavations. They are professional excavation teams.Gaziantep Museum has acted from this system of thought in its work for the last 2 years and has succeeded in doing so to the best of its ability. Professional excavation teams are urgently needed in Turkey.
3.Professional archaeologists should also work for the Zeugma open-air museum. There should be archaeologists in charge of the trench, reporting to an excavation leader, and at least two archaeologists in each trench reporting to these archaeologists.
4.Excavations should be carried out in the excavation area by professional archaeologists for at least 8 months every year. In addition, architects and restorers should be constantly present in the excavation area.
5.The excavations for the Zeugma open-air museum should have started in the terraces where the villas are located and in the areas where the official buildings are located. Both work areas should be expanded towards each other and the unearthed ruins should be opened to visitors as an open-air museum at the end of 3 years.
6.In order to prepare the materials for publication, ceramics, architects, frescoes, bronze objects and coin experts from the university should come and work on the materials.
