Gaziantep is one of the top destinations in Turkey's southeastern region. The historic old city here is full to the brim with restored Seljuk and Ottoman buildings, and is also home to a plethora of brilliant museums including this region's newest tourist attraction: the Gaziantep Zeugma Mosaic Museum. Despite all this sightseeing potential, many visitors come here solely for the food. The town is heralded across Turkey for producing the best baklava in the country, and there are approximately 200 pastry shops where you can dig into this famed Turkish sweet.
1 Gaziantep Zeugma Mosaic Museum
The city's top tourist attraction is this state-of-the-art museum (opened in 2012), which displays fine mosaics unearthed during the excavation of the nearby Belkis-Zeugma archaeological site. On opening it became the world's largest mosaic museum. The craftsmanship of these Roman-era artworks is magnificent, and the pieces would have once graced the floors of Zeugma's many grand Roman villas. Some pieces are, rightly, regarded as some of the best examples of Roman mosaic work in the world. Look out particularly for the famed Gypsy Mosaic with its intricate and stunningly life-like detailing.
Location: Sehitkamil Caddesi
Official site: www.gaziantepmuzesi.gov.tr
Accomodation: Where to Stay in Gaziantep - TripAdvisor.com
2 Citadel (Kale)
This Seljuk era citadel (built in the 12th and 13th centuries) occupies the site of an earlier Byzantine fortress constructed under the Emperor Justinian's command in the 6th century. The citadel towers over the northern edge of Gaziantep's Old City, sitting atop the hill of Tell Halaf - settled as early as 3500 BC. The small Gaziantep Defense and Heroism Panoramic Museuminside the citadel is dedicated to the locals who defended the city against the French in 1920.
Location: Kanber Sokak
3 Gaziantep Archaeological Museum
The archaeology museum displays finds excavated at the nearby sites of Zincirli, Karkamıs andSakçaközu. There is also an extensive collection of ancient Near Eastern stamp seals.
Location: İstasyon Caddesi
4 Gaziantep City Museum
This great little museum, set in the restored Bayazhan building, uses dioramas and multimedia displays to tell the story of Gaziantep in an interesting and fun way. When you've finished touring the exhibits, sit down in the central courtyard for a coffee or browse through one of the stalls here that sell local crafts.
Location: Atatürk Bulvarı
5 Gaziantep Ethnography Museum
Dioramas throughout this museum showcase beautiful Ottoman costumes and scenes of daily life. The museum is based in a wonderfully restored Ottoman mansion, and wandering through the rooms allows you an insight into the daily life and rituals of the era.
Location: Hanefioǧlu Sokak
6 Emine Göǧüş Culinary Museum
Say the name Gaziantep to a Turk and they'll usually start talking about food. This city is known as a culinary capital, so it's no surprise that there's a museum dedicated to its food. The layout and excellent information panels guide you through Gaziantep's most famed dishes, which of course include the sticky-syrupy delights of the town's baklava.
Location: Köprübaşı Sokak
7 Gaziantep Mosques
Gaziantep has a wealth of mosques from different time periods. The Kurtuluş Mosque (off Eyüboǧlu Caddesi), Alaüddevie Mosque (Şehitler Caddesi) and Tahtani Mosque (Eski Gümrük Caddesi) all feature striking Islamic architectural features. Outside to the Old City, in the southwest town district, the Ömeriji Mosque is a particularly fine example of an 11th century mosque.
8 Kilis
About 50 km southwest of Gaziantep is the ancient town of Kilis where the streets are lined with beautiful examples of Seljuk and Ottoman buildings. The gorgeous Tekye Mosque is a highlight of a trip here, but if you've got the time to poke around you'll find the restored Paşa Hamamı bathhouse, the Mevlevi Hane, and the Kadı Mosque. Just out of town are the remains of the medieval fortress of Ravanda Kalesi.
9 Belkis-Zeugma
Founded by the Seleucid ruler Nicator I, Belkis-Zeugma rose to prominence under later Roman rule. This was a prosperous city of trading merchants until its destruction by the Sassanid Persian army in 252 AD. Excavations here in the 1990s revealed a treasure-trove of Roman mosaics gracing the floors of the fine Roman villas. The best examples of these mosaics can now be viewed in the Gaziantep Zeugma Mosaic Museum.
The opening of the Birecik Dam in 2000 resulted in the flooding of some of the archaeological site, but the area still above water is still worthy of a visit (especially if you've viewed the mosaics in Gaziantep). Some of the less-important mosaics have been left in situ and as you walk around the site you can clearly make out the plans of these once grand villas. Location: 50 km east of Gaziantep
10 Halfeti
When the Birecik Dam was opened in 2000, the tranquil village of Halfeti and the nearbyRumkale and Savaş villages became victims to Turkey's march to modernisation. These tranquil villages with their old Ottoman architecture were partially submerged under the dam water, and the government resettled many villagers. The villages make a lovely day trip from Gaziantep though there's a slightly surreal edge to sightseeing here with mosque minarets poking defiantly out of the dam water and abandoned village houses tumbling right down to the shore. To get the best views take a boat trip from Halfeti to Rumkale (where there's a fortress on a cliff) and on to Savaş.
11 Sakçagoz
Beside the town of Sakçagoz (50 km west of Gaziantep), there are five old settlement mounds where excavations have revealed 12-levels of occupation dating from the Stone Age to the 1st century AD. Finds on the smallest mound include the remains of a palace with an ante-room and defensive wall, as well as sphinxes and stone blocks carved with reliefs that date to the 8th century BC (now on display in Ankara's Museum of Anatolian Civilizations). Excavations at the site of Karahüyük, 5 km northeast, have revealed a flourishing Early Bronze Age trading settlement with a wealth of finds dating back to the Chalcolithic period.
12 Doliche
Near the village of Dülük, 10 km northwest of Gaziantep, are the sparse remains of Doliche - which once rivalled Gaziantep in importance. The town was made a bishopric during the Byzantine era but after surrendering to the Arabs in AD 637 Doliche's prominence faded and was overtaken by Ayntap (Gaziantep's ancient name). If you're passing by, there are some rock tombs to see but the site itself is not worth going out of your way for.
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