After spending some time in Adana and doing a day trip to Tarsus, it was time to move on. I took a bus and went to Hatay, also known as Antakya. This is a dead end: Hatay and the province containing it is bordered by Syria (where I obviously don't intend to go to) and the Mediterranean Sea. Nevertheless, I was told there are very good reasons to visit Hatay (mostly for the food), so I spent a few days there. The first thing I did was check out the fabulous Hatay Archaeology Museum.
As I already mentioned earlier, there are so many historical artifacts in this area of Turkey. I sure hope they are all preserved, even after the recent disaster that the city suffered a few months after my visit. When I was there, everything was still intact, and this museum, located north of the city centre, showcases plenty of the cultural and archaeological riches from this area.
Immediately at the beginning of my visit, I already saw perhaps the most famous artifact the city holds, the statue of King Suppiluliuma. He was a Hittite king during the 13th century BC, and his statue is more or less the symbol of the city. I saw many recreations of his image all over the place, and this very large statue greeted me in the museum.
There are plenty to see here, and it shows that there's definitely a huge historical significance coming from this area. I saw lion statues and other items that are definitely coming from a very far away temporal period.
Perhaps the aspect this museum is most well-known for is its mosaics. There are simply so many mosaics coming from this area of the world, and Hatay's museum is said to have the largest collection. I was absolutely fascinated by the various different mosaics that have been preserved, and on display here. It was fascinating to see these little stones compiled together to create intricate images. I sure hope they survived the earthquake earlier this year.
Aside from mosaics, I also had a great time admiring the various sarcophagi that were on display. These are very intricate marble items that are supposed to contain dead bodies. It is just amazing seeing how complex the designs are, it almost makes me think it would be a great way to go in such a coffin, since you can die in style so to speak.
This museum was definitely a highlight of my brief visit to Hatay. I learned a lot while browsing the items in display.
