Zeugma Archaeological Site (Belkis)

Zeugma was a Commagene city in the Hellenistic and Roman eras. It is situated in Belkis town, Nizip, in Gaziantep province. Seleucus I Nicator, who is one of Alexander the Great’s commanders, was founded in the early 3rd BC. During the Roman Empire, it was a large and strategically very important settlement, which became a military and commercial center. However, in 253 AD, the Sassanids captured and destroyed it. Later, Arab raids harmed the city, which temporarily lived in the Middle Ages. In the 17th century, the Turkish village of Belkis was built next to it. Today, the region remains under the Bilecik Dam, however the rescued mosaics can be seen in the Zeugma Mosaic Museum.