Museum stands out with mythological deity figures
AFYONKARAHİSAR
The Afyonkarahisar Museum’s collection of marble deity sculptures, headlined by the mother goddess Cybele, continues to be a major highlight for visitors.
The sculptures were discovered in 1964 during road construction works near Çavdarlı village, about 5 kilometers from the western province of Afyonkarahisar. Following reports that the Cybele statue had been illegally removed from the area, a rescue excavation was carried out by museum authorities, uncovering more than 70 mythological figures, including Apollo, Artemis, Tyche, Men, Asclepius, Zeus and Heracles.
The ancient artifact was exhibited in the city’s former museum until 2023. The Cybele statue, which had been smuggled abroad and sold in Israel before being returned to Türkiye from the United States on Dec. 13, 2020, was later brought to Afyonkarahisar after being temporarily exhibited at the Istanbul Archaeology Museums.
