Topkapı Palace
The sultans’ palace on Sarayburnu: courtyards, the Imperial Council, the treasury and the terraces over the water. Dated entry, sold online on its own site.
Zeugma Archaeological Site
The ancient Euphrates crossing of Zeugma, a wealthy Roman city famous for its mosaics and a bronze statue of Mars found in the Poseidon Villa.
About the museum
Zeugma, a word meaning crossing or bridge, was founded by Seleucus I, one of Alexander the Great's generals. It reached its peak in the second century AD, when it was one of the important cities of the eastern Roman Empire. The headquarters of the Fourth Legion made it home to high-ranking officers, while its strategic position drew rich merchants.
The city's mosaics are its claim to fame, and they give a window into the lives of the cultured, intellectual upper classes of Roman Zeugma. Most of the best pieces are displayed in the Zeugma Mosaic Museum in Gaziantep, so the site and the museum are best seen together.
One of the museum's unique finds is the bronze statue of Mars, the god of war. It came to light in 2000 during rescue excavations inside the Villa of Poseidon, hidden under storage jars in what may have been the cellar. Excavations at Zeugma continue to reveal more of the city.
Tips
- Visit the Zeugma Mosaic Museum in Gaziantep as well, since it holds the mosaics from this site.
- The site is open every day, and Müzekart is valid for Turkish citizens.
Questions
When is Zeugma Archaeological Site open?
According to the Ministry’s listing it opens at 08:00 and closes at 19:00. Open every day.
Can I buy tickets for Zeugma Archaeological Site on this site?
No. This site sells no tickets. Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sophia and Dolmabahçe Palace are sold on our sister sites; for Zeugma Archaeological Site, buy at the ticket office or on the Ministry’s official e-ticket system.
Where is Zeugma Archaeological Site?
Zeugma Archaeological Site is in Gaziantep, Türkiye — Nizip.
Nearby
Gaziantep
Gaziantep Castle
A landmark citadel on a hill in the centre of Gaziantep, one of Turkey's best-preserved castles, built on a mound of great antiquity.
Gaziantep
Gaziantep Archaeological Museum
Gaziantep's archaeological museum, in a purpose-built 1969 building, with more than 1,700 objects from the city and its surroundings.
Gaziantep
Yesemek Archaeological Site
An open-air quarry and sculpture workshop of the Hittite and Late Hittite world in Gaziantep, with hundreds of unfinished statues left in the basalt.
Gaziantep
Zeugma Mosaic Museum
One of the world's great mosaic museums, in a former tobacco factory in Gaziantep, showing Roman mosaics rescued from ancient Zeugma.
Gaziantep
Rumkale Archaeological Site
A cliff-top fortress in Yavuzeli, Gaziantep, where the Merzimen stream meets the Euphrates, now a peninsula surrounded by a dam lake.
Istanbul tickets online
Four Istanbul landmarks, each sold on its own site by the agency behind this guide — dated entry and free cancellation up to 24 hours.
Basilica Cistern
Justinian’s great underground reservoir: 336 columns in still water and the two Medusa heads. Fast-track entry with a digital audio guide.
Hagia Sophia
Justinian’s cathedral, the sultans’ mosque and a working mosque again today. The ticket admits you to the upper visitor gallery.
Dolmabahçe Palace
A nineteenth-century palace on the water’s edge: the Selamlık, the Ceremonial Hall under its chandelier, the crystal staircase and the Harem.