Guide
The floor mosaics of the ancient city of Germanicia lie in the Dulkadiroğlu district in the centre of Kahramanmaraş. They came to light through work begun after a report of illicit digging in August 2007, and that work continues.
Maraş passed into Roman hands in 64 BC, and the city was given the name of the emperor Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, becoming Kaiseria Germanicia. The Latin, Greek and Arabic sources of the period show that the mosaics belong to the late Roman and early Byzantine periods, and they reflect the political, social, cultural and economic life of the city at that time.
The great number of tesserae in the layers of the mosaics allowed fine detail to be given to the motifs. The scenes include plant and geometric patterns, subjects drawn from daily life, and compositions showing the architecture of the period.
In their careful workmanship, in the patterns of their scenes and in the range of their subjects and iconography, the Germanicia mosaics have a character of their own.
The site is within the city and easily reached by taxi or minibus.