Byzantine art

Almost a decade has gone by since the first group of postgraduate students from the University of Damascus came under the guidance of Greek scientists from the European Center of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments (EKBMM) in Thessaloniki to study and document splendid mosaic floors from the Early Christian period at the Syrian capital's National Museum.

Turkish historian ?lber Ortayl? has paid a visit to the excavation area in the southern province of Hatay's ?plik Pazar? district where an ancient mosaic reading "be cheerful, live your life" was discovered last week during the construction of a cable railway project. 

A rock church discovered in Burdur's ancient city of Kremna has excited researchers for providing information about unknown a previously Byzantine presence in the regionA six-gate rock church that is home to wall paintings featuring Christian icons has been unearthed in the southern province of Burdur's Bucak district. 

Byzantine-era mosaics unearthed in the ancient city of Stratonikeia will be open to visitors after the completion of restoration work, according to scholars in southwestern TurkeyMosaics dating back 1,600 years will soon provide another reason to visit the ancient city of Stratonikeia, one of the largest marble cities in antiquity.

Turkey's Culture and Tourism Ministry has taken action following news reports earlier this week that a Roman-era mosaic in the northwestern province of Bursa's ?znik district had been paved over with asphalt, removing the road covering to protect the works of art.

A Roman-era floor mosaic discovered last year in Bursa's ?znik district was covered with river sand and asphalt after the ministry did not expropriate the areaThe entry point of a Roman-era floor mosaic discovered in September last year during sewage excavations in the northwestern province of Bursa's ?znik district has been paved over with asphalt by the municipality. 
 

Gazan Nafez Abed is a self-taught archaeologist, preserver and restorer who crafts reproductions of ancient pieces he finds or has seen in museums. His work is so authentic that international experts have been wowed by his skillsNafez Abed's cramped workroom is filled with sculptures and mosaics with patterns from the Byzantine, Greek and Roman periods.

A mosaic that has been unearthed during excavations in the ancient city of Olba in the southern province of Mersin's Silifke district has been removed in 16 different panels and placed under protection. 

According to a statement made by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, the mosaic was found by a Gazi University team headed by Professor Ay?e Emel Erten. 

The fourth issue of MUSA, the quarterly cultural review produced by the press and communication office of the Greek embassy in WashingtonD.C., highlights Byzantine Thessaloniki in its current edition.

Considered the “second capital” of Byzantium after imperial Constantinople, Thessaloniki today retains numerous monuments of the 1,000-year Eastern Christian empire.

The restorer heading the reportedly ?botched? restoration of ancient mosaics in the southern province of Hatay has denied the accusations, saying even the smallest movement of stones would have changed the size of the mosaic.