Yusuf ALBAYRAK

The mosaics used in the architectural decoration have been an indispensable element which has been used continuously since antiquity. Mosaics which are at the forefront, not only with their strength but also with their visual beauty, have been made a lot in Şanlıurfa especially during the Roman period. However, these mosaics are not used in both civil and official buildings decorations but in tombs. The mosaics depict the deceased person and his family. There are also mosaics in which religious and mythological subjects are depicted. Mosaics were found on the floor of the rooms of the three rock tombs, during the recent years excavations in the Necropolis of Şanlıurfa. These are very similar to about 30 mosaics found previously in Şanlıurfa. Up to now, the majority of the thirty mosaic in Şanlıurfa belonged to the Kingdom of Edessa (2nd century BC - 3rd century AD). Some of the mosaics have been smuggled abroad, some of them have been destroyed and some of them have been exhibited in the Halepli Bahçe Mosaic Museum in Şanlıurfa. These mosaics reflecting the social and cultural features of the period in which they are made, as well as geometric patterns besides the family mosaic. The inscriptions on the mosaics include both names and dates. In the mosaics, all family members are shown together and the message of death is connected to each other as in life. People of the Kingdom of Edessa believe that death is the unifying of the family, and it is also understood that they have a belief in meeting together as a new beginning. These tombs with mosaics are a place where the living and the dead are united and are the places where the deceased were kept alive by the paintings built by their relatives.

Key Words: Mosaic, Necropolis, Rock Tomb, Şanlıurfa, Edessa