The Şanlıurfa Museum complex is the largest in Turkey: it includesthe Şanlıurfa Archaeological Museum, the Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum,the Arhaeopark, the escavations of the Roman Bath and Sakıp’s Mansion. Extensive rescue excavations were carried out in this region since the 1960’s whendams on the Euphrateswere constructed: Şanlıurfa Archaeological Museum has one of the richestarchaeological collections of Turkey, in terms of quality and number of findings. The full tour of the exhibition halls of the Museum, set up in chronological order,from prehistoric ages to the present, may take hours. In addition to a great number of archaeological monuments found in Şanlıurfa and its surrounding, the exact replicas of the‘Urfa Man’,regarded as the world’s oldest statue (9300-8700 BC) and the Temple “D”ofGöbeklitepe,are exhibited in special halls of the Museum. Moreover, thecult site known asNevali Çori, submerged when the Atatürk Dam was built,was moved to the museum in its original state. Haliplibahçe Mosaic Museum, located right next to the Şanlıurfa Museum, is renowned for the magnificent hunting mosaics depicting the Amazons(hunting women)frequently mentioned as mythological characters, and the mosaic of Orpheus the ancient Greek legendary hero endowed with superhuman musical skills.
