United States returns 13th missing piece of famed 'Gypsy Girl' mosaic to Turkey

Turkey has successfully recovered another piece of the renowned "Gypsy Girl" mosaic, with the United States returning the 13th missing section. Turkish Culture Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced the repatriation on X/Twitter, calling it "another missing piece of the ‘Gypsy Girl’ mosaic, the iconic symbol of Zeugma, the pride of Gaziantep."

Ersoy emphasized Turkey's commitment to reclaiming its heritage, stating, "We will continue to track the traces of our cultural assets wherever they may be in the world and to protect our civilizational heritage." The "Gypsy Girl" mosaic was first unearthed nearly 30 years ago during excavations in the ancient city of Zeugma, near modern-day Gaziantep. Archaeologists soon discovered that several bordering mosaic pieces were missing, having been illegally excavated and smuggled out of the country in the 1960s.

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We have successfully brought back to our country from the United States another missing piece of the ‘Gypsy Girl’ mosaic, the iconic symbol of Zeugma, the pride of Gaziantep.

These pieces were eventually acquired by Bowling Green State University in Ohio, United States, where they were displayed until 2012 before being returned to Turkey in 2018. The mosaic itself depicts a woman with distinctive features and is thought to represent one of Dionysus's maenads. Recent reports from Turkey also mention the discovery of a rare Roman-era mosaic in northern Turkey bearing similarities to the "Gypsy Girl," further highlighting the region's rich archaeological heritage.

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We will continue to track the traces of our cultural assets wherever they may be in the world and to protect our civilizational heritage.