After weathering the devastation of last year's floods, Sanliurfa's Archaeology Museum and Haleplibahce Mosaic Museum have reopened after considerable rehabilitation.

Bulent Gonultas, Deputy Director General of Cultural Assets and Museums, stated that "our museums' electrical and cooling systems in the basements have been completely renewed, thanks to the swift action taken by the ministry during the restoration process."

Flood hitting southern Türkiye

Last year's deluge followed twin earthquakes in Adiyaman and Sanliurfa, which devastated southern Türkiye.

Heavy rains in the earthquake-affected region, particularly in Adiyaman's Tut district and Malatya's Dogansehir district, caused a river to overflow and flood. This event caused substantial damage to the Sanliurfa Archaeology and Haleplibahce Mosaic Museum complex, Türkiye's largest museum.

The basement of the archaeological museum, which housed approximately 10,000 artifacts, remained submerged.

Importance for Neolithic History

The museum, which opened in 2015 and spans 60,000 square meters, displays objects discovered during famed excavations such as Gobeklitepe and Karahantepe, often known as the "zero point of history."

The newly displayed treasures include the world's first life-size human sculpture, a life-size wild boar, red vulture sculptures, and beautiful bead-made objects. Gonultas stressed the importance of a human statue discovered in Karahantepe in 2023, saying it as crucial to global Neolithic history.

As the museums reopen, plans are on for the World Neolithic Congress in Sanliurfa, which will be held in November in collaboration with Harran University. Gonultas anticipates a gathering of distinguished scientists who specialize in Anatolian and Mesopotamian neolithics.