uth East, after Antakya, was Gaziantep. It used to just be known as Antep, and many Turks still call it by that name. "Gazi" is an honorific title for a distinguished war veteran, and the Turkish government bestowed the city with this special name for the citizens' bravery during the Revolution. Antep was one of our favorite cities. It is very green, full of trees and parks. The food was also great, and there were lots of nice people. One of the cities main attractions is the mosaic museum. I am prepared to say that it is one of the best museums in Turkey. Period. And they are already planning a new building and visitor center. The mosaics were rescued from the nearby ancient site of Zeugma. The fate of this ancient site along the Euphrates (right: mosaic from Zeugma featuring the Euphrates personified) has been intricately woven with the modern infrastructure program in South East Turkey, the GAP project. GAP is a multi-sector integrated development project designed to bring sustainable living to the 9 million people in South Eastern Turkey. At its most basic level, GAP is an incredible effort by the Turkish government to raise the standard of living for the populations in the South East region, eliminating regional disparities and hopefully even quelling the Kurdish resistance movement (PKK) in the process. If people aren't poor, they aren't as inclined to terrorism, or so the logic goes.
GAP has been very controversial, especially the proposed construction of 22 hydroelectric dams. Iran and Syria have expressed concern that Turkey is hogging a vital natural resource commonly shared by all three countries. Relevant to us, many of these dams threaten important ancient sites, immersing them under water. When the Birecik dam was completed in 2000, the rising waters endangered the ancient site of Zeugma, which is so rich in archaeological material it has been called the "Second Pompeii." That same year a hasty and extensive rescue operation commenced to save as many important mosaics as possible from the floors of ancient Roman villas, soon to be claimed by the waters of the Euphrates. These mosaics were brought to Antep, and we had the fortune to see one of the most impressive collections of ancient floor mosaics in the world.
Some mosaics were propped vertically like paintings in an art gallery for better viewing, but all of these mosaics were originally intended to be on the floor. This incredible mosaic has been exhibited as it was found on site. The subject is a lesser known story from the Trojan War. Odysseus was charged with rounding up all of the great Greek warriors, but none of them wanted to go so they all tried to squirm out of their responsibility. Of course, no draft-dodging trickery would dupe the clever Odysseus. In this scene, Achilles has gone into hiding dressed as a woman. In order to out Achilles, Odysseus has laid out on a table a bunch of weapons. The ladies of the villa gather in the room, and Odysseus feigns some kind of enemy threat. He concludes that the butch girl who immediately grabbed the shield and sword had to be Achilles. This mosaic has Odysseus on the left, with the rather foxy-looking Achilles to right of center, brandishing a shield and lots of leg.
By far the most famous mosaic in the museum is the enchanting "Gypsy Girl." Her eyes have become an informal symbol of Antep itself, and she is often featured on promotional posters for Turkey. When we were at the museum we began to be shooed out by the guards because they were closing up for lunch. As I was walking into the entrance foyer it occurred to me that I had not had a chance to see this mosaic. I yelped and without any explanation I bolted away from Di and Wu, screaming something like, "I'll die first!" I ran down the corridors, in the opposite direction of all of the tourists rushing out of the museum. I suppose one of the guards appreciated my enthusiasm for mosaics because he laughed and quickly ushered me into the room the mosaic was kept. He flipped on the lights, which had already been turned off for the museum's closing. I snapped this photo in a few seconds and I went to go find Di and Wu at the museum entrance.
Antep is world-famous for its pistachios. Here Wu is enjoying what is probably the yummiest pistachio gelato in the world.
Antep also features a pretty impressive fortress. Inside had just been refurbished with what turned out to be a propaganda museum detailing the atrocities of the Armenians. Hmmm
Some mosaics were propped vertically like paintings in an art gallery for better viewing, but all of these mosaics were originally intended to be on the floor. This incredible mosaic has been exhibited as it was found on site. The subject is a lesser known story from the Trojan War. Odysseus was charged with rounding up all of the great Greek warriors, but none of them wanted to go so they all tried to squirm out of their responsibility. Of course, no draft-dodging trickery would dupe the clever Odysseus. In this scene, Achilles has gone into hiding dressed as a woman. In order to out Achilles, Odysseus has laid out on a table a bunch of weapons. The ladies of the villa gather in the room, and Odysseus feigns some kind of enemy threat. He concludes that the butch girl who immediately grabbed the shield and sword had to be Achilles. This mosaic has Odysseus on the left, with the rather foxy-looking Achilles to right of center, brandishing a shield and lots of leg. 
This is a really lovely abstract design. It is difficult to tell from the photo, but it is huge, approximately seven feet to a side.
By far the most famous mosaic in the museum is the enchanting "Gypsy Girl." Her eyes have become an informal symbol of Antep itself, and she is often featured on promotional posters for Turkey. When we were at the museum we began to be shooed out by the guards because they were closing up for lunch. As I was walking into the entrance foyer it occurred to me that I had not had a chance to see this mosaic. I yelped and without any explanation I bolted away from Di and Wu, screaming something like, "I'll die first!" I ran down the corridors, in the opposite direction of all of the tourists rushing out of the museum. I suppose one of the guards appreciated my enthusiasm for mosaics because he laughed and quickly ushered me into the room the mosaic was kept. He flipped on the lights, which had already been turned off for the museum's closing. I snapped this photo in a few seconds and I went to go find Di and Wu at the museum entrance.
Antep is world-famous for its pistachios. Here Wu is enjoying what is probably the yummiest pistachio gelato in the world. 
Antep also features a pretty impressive fortress. Inside had just been refurbished with what turned out to be a propaganda museum detailing the atrocities of the Armenians. Hmmm
