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Kızılkoyun Necropolis
These caves, which were used as settlements by the people of Şanlıurfa until recently, are lined up along the slope of Tılfındır Hill to the east of the Şanlıurfa Museum Complex. In the works conducted in the Kızılkoyun region revealing the historical texture of the city, 387 houses in the region were demolished and the Edessa necropolis was unearthed. 72 rock tombs were found on the slope of the hill where the destroyed houses lean on, and it is understood that these houses were once used as cellars. Rock-cut tomb chambers were built for the person himself, his wife, children and heirs.
Kızılkoyun necropolis, which was declared an archaeological site in 2012, is very rich in terms of tomb sizes and decorations. In the region, there are examples of embossed, ornamented sarcophagi and sculptural tombs from pagan and early Christian periods. Floors of some of these tombs are covered with mosaics. These mosaics are dated to the Roman, Oshroene (Edessa) Kingdom and Byzantine periods. In one of the rock-cut tombs, 2 Roman period statues and 1 limestone sarcophagus were found. It is thought that the statues with 1.85 cm length in the right and left of the main tomb are sculptures of warriors from Roman period from 3rd-4th century and might be built to protect the tomb. After the scientific documentation studies, the sarcophagi and their sculptures were moved to their new location, the Şanlıurfa Museum.
