She is 1750 years old .. A mural in Turkey sees the light

The historic city of Laodicia in the Turkish state of Denizli (southwest) saw a huge 1750-year-old mural lifted from under the rubble.

Anatolia correspondent stated that the mural that was raised was located at a depth of seven meters, in the historical city of Laodicia that was struck by an earthquake that led to its destruction in 494 AD.

The reporter indicated that the mural, which was covered by layers of earthquake rubble, is 1750 years old, with a length of 52 meters and a height of nine meters.

He added that the excavations and restoration works in the ancient city of Laodicia - which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List - are still in full swing.

The correspondent pointed out that excavation and restoration work in the city - which contains one of the seven churches mentioned in the Bible - has been ongoing since 2003.

He explained that the excavation and restoration work is carried out by a team of Turkish archaeologists, under the supervision of Dr. Jalal Chemeshk, head of the Department of Archeology, Faculty of Arts at the Turkish University of "Pamuk Kala'ah".

According to the Anatolian correspondent, the scholars found archaeological finds dating back to 5500 BC, indicating that the ancient city was one of the most important commercial, artistic and sports centers in the Asia Minor region (Anatolia) during ancient times.

The correspondent stated that two years ago, archaeologists in the city were able to find the mural under the rubble.

He added that archaeologists performed careful cleaning of the painting, after removing the rubble, which had been obscured by sunlight for centuries, in a special and sensitive manner.

Paint drawings
The reporter noted that the painting contains paintings of paint for a wall with columns with heads symbolizing affluence, as well as a set of graphic drawings.

The head of the exploration and restoration work team said that excavations are continuing in the old city of Laodicia throughout the year.

Shimishk added that the excavations taking place in ancient Laodicia are among the most important archaeological excavations in the world.

Shimishk stated that the excavation works have revived an important group of historical buildings from under the rubble, after documenting their existence, and their components have been systematically re-raised focusing on protecting those important historical pieces.

On raising the mural, Shimishk said that the archaeological team has raised it with great accuracy.

He explained that the archaeological team who discovered the mural two years ago, worked on restoring it and creating authorship among its components, noting that the components of the piece were not subjected to major damage because they remained preserved under the rubble.

"We believe that there is no other model in the world for this painting in terms of the content and type of paint used in this large area. We have succeeded in raising it and we plan to open it to visitors starting next April," he said.

He pointed out that the archaeologists' team also found coins in the ancient city of Roman Emperor Galen, and that these coins belong to about the middle of the third century BC.

Shimishk said that the mural, which was raised by the archaeologists, is one of the largest huge murals that were raised around the world, indicating that it will contribute to the revitalization of tourism in the region.