Worst restauration job ever...

[Viggen]

...so much skill (not)

 

 

 

via SCMP

 

[Onasander]

I looked the two pictures over stone by stone, it looks like most of the damage came from cleaning, and not rearranging.

 

In art (as well in how we see) they have "form lines", they managed to erase this effect. We now know this was a important aspect of Roman Mosaics.

 

Secondly, color.

 

I'm guessing someone cleaned the image a little too well. This is sad, but not irreversible.

[Onasander]

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkeys-culture-ministry-denies-claims-of-botched-restorations-of-ancient-mosaics.aspx?pageID=238&nID=82105&NewsCatID=375

[GhostOfClayton]

It really highlights what a genuine skill those Roman era mosaicists had.

[C. Fabius Lupus]

It also highlights hat the Turks are barbarians.

[Onasander]

They are not barbarians in regards to their mosaic restoration practices, it looks like they are doing what you expect.... fix chipped and cracking pieces, and remove the dull top layers to add the new top layers.

 

Turks have been coming around the last two generations, embracing their earlier Greek heritage. Its quite easy to forget they have alot of Greek blood in them, nearly a thousand years of not so consensual marruage/harems. A educated Turk knows of the Roman heritage of their region.

 

I wouldn't necessarily rank them higher than, say, Indonesia or Malaysia in terms of tolerance and cosmopolitan outlook, as well as their willingness to preserve the past. Still better than a lot of nations.