Kadioglu Mosaics

Kadioglu Mosaics

The Kadıoğlu Mosaics are located in the Çaycuma District, near Kadıoğlu Village, about 45 km from the center of Zonguldak. In 2008, an excavation was launched to preserve the well-known mosaics that were located on private land.

Under the leadership of Handan Özalpay, excavations of the ancient settlement uncovered mosaics estimated to date back to AD 250-260. Archaeologists also found a single silver coin near the mosaic in the garden area.

Kadioglu Mosaics

For more than two years, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism worked to save the Roman-period mosaics found at Kadıoğlu, gaining significant knowledge about the history of Çaycuma in the process. The mural uncovered at Kadıoğlu bears a resemblance to those found in Zeugma. During the last season of excavations, only the lower half of an image from a local villager was discovered.

The ruins may be from an ancient farmhouse dating back to the 3rd century AD. There are three rooms with mosaic floors, one of which has a mural depicting Lykurgos and Ambrossia. The other two murals measure 5.8 by 5.8 meters, while some geometrical patterns cover a larger area measuring 4.2 x 10.2 meters in size. The ruins are situated 15 meters away from Kadıoğlu Village Road and 7 meters below the road's elevation.

A project has been designed to protect Kadıoğlu's mosaics and provide information to visitors. The project's objectives are to safeguard the mosaics from weather conditions and enable visitors to appreciate the artwork up close, while also providing them with all relevant information on-site. The ruins stretch northeast-southwest along a line, so the visitor center has been placed parallel to the ruins to make it easy for visitors to achieve both objectives. The entrance to the center is situated southwestward, approximately 3 meters below the village road level.