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The Museum Hotel Antakya Reopens to Offer Unique Experience of Ancient and Modern Worlds
The 2nd-century mosaic, thought to be a floor from a Roman forum villa, is just one of the treasures unearthed during the building of the hotel in Antakya – ancient Antioch – once one of the three largest and most important cities in the Roman Empire and an early center of Christianity. An exceptional marble sculpture of Eros found in one piece is also among the rare finds. The preservation project
Hotel exterior
An award-winning hotel offering the unrivalled opportunity to sleep next to the largest single-floor Roman mosaic ever uncovered has reopened following its temporary closure due to the pandemic. The Museum Hotel Antakya, home to one of the world’s most important archaeological excavations, provides guests with the extraordinary experience of enjoying outstanding hospitality in a futuristic structure with a window on more than 2,000 years of history. 22 www.travelerandtourist.com
The surprise discovery was made during the initial stages of the construction of the hotel in southeast Turkey. It led to a decade-long project during which the owners, the Asfuroğlu family, completely redesigned the property to preserve one of the most important archaeological excavations of the 21st century. The original plan for a 400-room hotel was scaled back to a 200-room suspended steel design to make space for the archaeological site. The result is an astounding achievement in the fields of architecture, archaeology, engineering, and conservation; a hotel hovering over a public museum.
