Nizip

This was probably built in the 12th century, the Byzantine era. It was later an inn then a mosque but is now disused and closed.

Zeugma means a junction or binding together, and refers to the pontoon bridge across the Euphrates. The Romans built a garrison town here and the senior officers owned fine villas decorated with mosaics. Zeugma was abandoned in the 7th century AD and almost forgotten, until the 2000 construction of the Birecik dam prompted emergency archaeological excavation. The mosaics were taken to Gaziantep and the best are still there, but some have been returned to this museum.