Renovation work on a historic mill has uncovered a 1,500-year-old mosaic from the Byzantine era.
The mill, located in Midyat in Turkey’s Mardin Province, was in the process of being developed into a tourism site when workers uncovered an earlier architectural layer – revealing a remarkably well-preserved mosaic decorated with intricate, multicoloured geometric motifs.
Workers immediately notified the Mardin Museum Directorate, who launched a rescue excavation under the supervision of Museum Director İdris Akgül and carried out by archaeologists Volkan Bağlaycı and Mehmet Şan.
Excavations revealed that the mosaic covers an area of 40-square-metres and is decorated with squares, circles, triangles, knots, waves, and infinity motifs – framed by medallion-shaped panels and cross designs.
The most striking element is an inscription reading “Tittos Domestikos,” which according to Akgül, “Tittos” is likely the name of a civilian administrator, while “Domestikos” refers to a military or ecclesiastical title in the Byzantine administrative system.
The discovery of a mosaic for the first time along the Midyat–Nusaybin route (a corridor known for ancient castles, caravanserais, and long-inhabited settlements) provides important insights into the region’s archaeological potential.
Museum Director Akgül noted, “This area is among the first sites in the valley where we carried out direct excavations. The information we uncover will allow us to reevaluate the historical strata of the region.”
Conservation experts are planning to stabilise, preserve, and date the mosaics, while museum officials prepare an on-site conservation and display plan to protect the find for future potential as a tourist destination.
Sources : Mardin Museum Directorate
