Museum of Great Palace Mosaics – Mosaic Museum in Istanbul
Museum of Great Palace Mosaics is one of the museums to visit in Fatih district of Istanbul. There are many historical places and museums to visit around Sultanahmet. One of them is the Museum of Great Palace Mosaics, located on Saray Hill. The museum is located inside the Arasta Market of the Blue Mosque. During the excavations started in 1935, many mosaics were unearthed and these mosaics were found in M.S. It has been determined that it is dated to 450-500 BC.
About Museum of Great Palace Mosaics
Only 180 square meters of the mosaics have survived to the present day. In the mosaics carefully made by the leading masters of the era, subjects such as nature-oriented paintings, shepherd life in the open air, the courage of the villagers and hunters were handled.
In addition to children playing, animals grazing in the wild or in the meadow, there are 90 different themes in the mosaics, where mythological animal stories and fairy tales are portrayed as imaginary creatures.
Museum of Great Palace Mosaics Some Artifacts
Tiger Hunt: This is the image recorded when two hunters with long hunting spears are hunting tigers. Of course, the word save is not the word that comes to mind today. They depicted two hunters wearing tunic facing a tiger.
Pig Hunting: The hunter, wearing a coat and sandals on his feet, is depicted kneeling down with a spear in his hand and waiting for his prey. The wild boar, on the other hand, comes quickly towards the hunter from the left side.
Lion Hunt: The hunter, mounted on a black horse, pointed his strongly stretched bow at the lion that was about to attack from behind the horse. The hunter’s tunic, which goes beyond the knee, is highlighted with his trousers and boots. It has been a privileged mosaic work for the popular lion hunt of the Hellenistic period. The portrait of the lion hunt, which was the privileged entertainment of the kings at that time, is exhibited in this museum today.
Eagle and Snake: The fight of eagle and snake against each other has been turned into a picture. One of the most common themes of the ancient period, the eagle and the snake struggle symbolizes the light overcoming the darkness. We know that such symbols were included in the emblems of the Roman legions.
The Lion and the Bull: The struggle of the lion and the bull against each other is handled with this motif. The bull, which spread its legs to the sides and bent its head to the ground, stuck its horns in the belly of the lion. It is seen that the lion is also biting the neck of the bull at this time.
The Nursing Mother and the Dog: Here we come across the breastfeeding mother figure, one of the figures of the ancient period, where references to heaven are made. In the painting on the mosaic, Isis is depicted holding Horus in her arms to symbolize fertility. The pointy-nosed dog sits next to the woman and watches over her.
