Hatay mosaic enters Guinness Book of Records

HATAY

Hatay’s 1,600-square-meter mosaic that tells the thousands of years of history of the city has entered the Guinness Book of Records as the largest floor mosaic made of natural marble stones.

Within the scope of the EXPO in June 2020, the Hatay Metropolitan Municipality applied to Hatay Mustafa Kemal University (HMKU) for the design and application project of the mosaic, known as the Mosaic of Co-Existence. Banu Özdilek, associate professor and archaeology faculty member, and Onur Tabıkoğlu, archaeologist and an independent researcher, designed the mosaic.

In April 2022, the mosaic was placed in a circular square at the western entrance of the Antakya Expo Fair Hall, with the joint effort of some 300 people, including scientists, experts, representatives of the Hatay mosaic industry and artisans.

Made using 40 tons of natural stones in 44 different color tones from all over Anatolia, the mosaic tells the rich cultural existence of Hatay in a unique way.

The work was measured on-site by referees and experts of the Guinness World Records Headquarters on the 83rd anniversary of Hatay’s reintegration into the homeland on July 22 and was registered as “the world’s largest floor mosaic made of natural stones.”

At a recent ceremony, Şeyda Subaşı, the Guinness World Records Türkiye representative and referee, announced that the 1,600-square-meter mosaic, one of the most important works of EXPO 2021 Hatay, has been awarded the Guinness Book of World Records after the examinations.

Stating that the mosaic must be made entirely of natural stones, identifiable from the air, have a minimum size of 500 square meters and have at least two colors, Subaşı said the mosaic fulfills these conditions and that the record holder is the Hatay Metropolitan Municipality as of July 23, 2022.