The Gaziantep Archaeology Museum in south Turkey is preparing to exhibit a 3,700-year-old pot that has a smiley emoji inscribed on it.

The pot was discovered four years ago in Karkamış, an ancient city along the Syrian-Turkish borders.

The Museum's Director, Özgür Çomak, said that the excavations and research work in the ancient city of Karkamış have been going on since around the establishment of the Turkish republic in 1923.

He explained that the ancient city had been the capital of the Hittite civilization, indicating that the seven-year-long excavation work in the city revealed many artifacts.

The Director added that among the artifacts excavated from the ancient city was a clay water pot with one handle, dating back to the Middle Bronze Age. He stated that "it is our first artwork with smiling emoji in the world," and that the museum is preparing to display it.

Çomak also said that the Museum has completed all the necessary procedures to display it, noting that when it was first found 4 years ago, it was fragmented and scattered. It was later restored and taken care of until it was ready for temporary display.

Regarding the smiley on the pot, Gaziantep Museum Director said, "The fact that the emoji we use every day in our daily lives is a smile from 3,700 years ago, of course, creates curiosity."