Missing pieces of the Gypsy Girl Mosaic taken back to its original land from the USA by Turkish Airlines

November 28, 2018: The missing pieces of the Gypsy Girl Mosaic, discovered among the Turkey's historical heritage Zeugma Mosaics and dating back to the second century B.C., were recently flown back from Chicago to Istanbul, by the Turkish Airlines.

Missing pieces, displayed in Ohio, USA, of the Gypsy Girl Mosaic, has a historical importance for all civilizations that lived across Turkey and the Anatolian Geography. The pieces, carried to Turkey on November 27, will be taken to Gaziantep from Istanbul in order to be delivered to the museum where Zeugma Mosaics are displayed. Turkish Airlines became the sponsor of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for this special operation.

The precious cargo was made ready for the flight using the techniques employed by Turkish Airlines in its special cargo operations. Weighing 1.3 tonnes in total, the missing pieces were wrapped in specially-designed papers and placed inside the wooden chests with maximum care to preserve their historical textures. Since maximum care was paid for this shipment, no other cargo was admitted to the Boeing 777-300 ER type passenger aircraft where the missing pieces were taken back to Istanbul.

Among the missing pieces smuggled from Gaziantep 47 years ago, there are 12 pieces such as Young Satir, Pan Mask, Female Theatre Mask, Indian Peacock, Maenad Mask and Bird with Plant Branches in its Beak which are considered to be the pieces forming the surrounding of the Gypsy Girl Mosaic.

Retrieved back to Turkey thanks to the intensive initiatives by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for six years in the USA, the missing pieces will be taken to Gaziantep by Turkish Airlines in order to be displayed at Zeugma Mosaic Museum, being the second biggest mosaic museum around the world with its area of 1,700 square metres.