The relief you see below is from the Antalya Archaeological Museum, which has been permanently closed. Although I don’t recall exactly which region it was excavated from, this image is one of the most beautiful reflections of the culture of Asia Minor/Anatolia. The inscription “ΓΑΒΡΙΗΛ” is visible at the top of the relief—a Greek inscription referring to the archangel Gabriel/Jibril. Gabriel is holding a circular object inscribed with the Arabic word “الله / Allah.”

This is the finest example of Anatolia’s mosaic of cultures from the Late Classical period through the Middle Ages. It represents the meeting and blending of two cultures and two architectural traditions, and their creation of shared elements.