Mosaics restored in ancient city of Metropolis in Turkey's Izmir

By Efsun Erbalaban

IZMIR, Turkey (AA) - Newly restored mosaics in the ancient city of Metropolis in the Torbali district of Izmir shed light on history dating 1,800 years ago.

Excavation and restoration work by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Manisa Celal Bayar University throughout the year in the Yenikoy neighborhood reveals the secrets of Metropolis, known as the "City of the Mother Goddess."

Restored with modern techniques to preserve colors and grains, mosaics use the paintings of Eros, Dionysus, and his wife Ariadne, the gods of Greek mythology.

Among mosaics restored are masks, symbols of the theater and fish and bird figures describing the fertility of the region.

Metropolis combines Central Anatolia and the Aegean, and therefore host rich and fertile lands, said Professor Dr. Serdar Aybek, head of excavations.

He said restoration work are continuing in an area that his team thought was a "guest house."

“We think that the guests who came to Metropolis for the theater were hosted here. Therefore, Dionysus, who is known as the god of theater and entertainment, his wife and Eros, were often used in the mosaics," he told Anadolu Agency.

"This mosaic was unearthed in the 1990s, but it was time to apply newly developed conservation practices and modern methods here as well," he said. "In 2021, with the help of restorer experts, we're trying to make these important mosaics in Metropolis look better and make them protected," he added.

Metropolis is located 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the western Turkish city of Izmir and 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the world-renowned ancient city of Ephesus.

The site, which bears traces of Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods, has been under excavation for years as part of a project carried out by the Culture and Tourism Ministry and Celal Bayar University.