27 · City guide
Gaziantep
City of the Zeugma mosaics, copper bazaars and UNESCO-recognized cuisine
Gaziantep grew up around its castle, which rises on a mound settled since the Hittite period; it received the title 'Gazi' (veteran) in 1921 for its resistance during the War of Independence. In the historic center you can explore on foot the Bakırcılar Çarşısı (Coppersmiths' Bazaar), the Zincirli Bedesten, the Tütün and Büdeyri hans, the kastels (underground water structures) and mosques such as Boyacı, Şirvani and Alaüddevle; the stone houses of the Bey neighborhood have been turned into museums. The Zeugma Mosaic Museum, with mosaics rescued from the ancient city of Zeugma on the Euphrates, is the city's most important stop. Across the province are the Mithras temples of Dülük, the Yesemek sculpture workshop and the Zincirli and Tilmen mounds in İslahiye, Zeugma and Rumkale in Nizip, and the Karkamış archaeopark on the border. A gastronomy city in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network since 2015, Gaziantep's cuisine, with hundreds of registered dishes, is a reason to visit in itself. A large part of the castle and historic buildings damaged in the 2023 earthquakes was repaired and reopened in 2024–2025.
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Where shall we explore?
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.Mosque
Alaüddevle Mosque
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A historic mosque built before 1515 in the time of the Dulkadirid Alaüddevle Bozkurt Bey, whose mihrab bears traces of church architecture.
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Atatürk Memorial Museum
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A memorial museum opened in a restored historic Antep house in the Bey neighborhood, where Atatürk was registered in the population records in 1933.
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Coppersmiths' Bazaar (Bakırcılar Çarşısı)
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A historic bazaar at the foot of the castle where Gaziantep's centuries-old copperwork is still carried on in the shops.
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Bayazhan Gaziantep City Museum
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A city museum in the Bayaz Han, built in 1909, telling the city's history and its crafts.
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Boyacı Mosque
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
One of the city's oldest mosques, part of whose minbar bears an inscription dated 1357, known for its unique minbar that slides into the wall on rails.
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Büdeyri Han
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A 19th-century han whose han and soap-workshop sections are connected on the upper floor, regarded as unique in plan among Gaziantep's hans.
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Dülük Ancient City and Dülükbaba Nature Park
Şehitkamil, Gaziantep
The ancient city of Doliche, birthplace of the cult of Jupiter Dolichenus; its underground Mithras temples and rock tombs lie within a nature park covered with pine forests.
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Museum
Emine Göğüş Cuisine Museum
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A museum in the historic Göğüş İbrahim Efendi Mansion presenting the ingredients, tools and cooking methods of Gaziantep cuisine.
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Fevkani Church
Nizip, Gaziantep
A historic church in Nizip's Fevkani neighborhood, dated to the 12th century and restored thanks to a residents' petition campaign.
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Gaziantep Archaeological Museum
Şehitkamil, Gaziantep
A museum displaying Gaziantep's archaeological finds from the Paleolithic to the Ottoman period, renewed and reopened after the earthquake.
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Museum
Gaziantep Pistachio Museum
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
The world's first pistachio museum, telling the history, harvest and varieties of the Antep pistachio in a pistachio-shaped building.
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Gaziantep Zoo
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
Türkiye's largest zoo by area, within the Burç forests, with a safari park, an aquarium and aviaries.
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Gaziantep Castle
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A round, 12-towered castle rising on the mound in the middle of the city; heavily damaged in the 2023 earthquakes, its restoration was completed in 2025.
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Gaziantep Mevlevi Lodge Foundation Museum
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A museum in the Antep Mevlevi Lodge, built in 1638, displaying Mevlevi culture and foundation works.
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Gaziantep Games and Toys Museum
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A municipal museum in a historic stone house in the Bey neighborhood, displaying traditional and old toys.
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Gaziantep Synagogue
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A two-story stone synagogue left by the city's Jewish community, restored in 2012.
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Hammam Museum
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A themed museum in the Paşa Hammam, built by Lala Mustafa Paşa in 1577, presenting Ottoman hammam culture through re-creations.
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Hasan Süzer Ethnography Museum
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
An ethnography museum in a historic Antep house in the Bey neighborhood, displaying the city's traditional life and everyday objects.
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Karasu Rock Relief
Araban, Gaziantep
A Late Hittite relief in Araban carved on a rock face about 200 meters above the river in a limestone gorge cut by the Karasu Stream, showing a protective god standing on a stag.
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Ancient city
Karkamış Ancient City (Archaeopark)
Karkamış, Gaziantep
The great Late Hittite capital on the west bank of the Euphrates; part of the city, also excavated by T. E. Lawrence, has been open to visitors as an archaeopark since 2019.
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Kurtuluş Mosque
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A building designed by Sarkis Balyan, built in 1892–1893 as the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) and used as a mosque since the 1980s.
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Naib Hammam
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A historic hammam just north of the castle, built in 1640 and restored in 2009 as part of the Culture Route Project.
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Ömer Ersoy Cultural Center (Church of St. Peter / Aziz Bedros)
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A historic Armenian church reported to date from 1723, uncovered during road works in 2005 and converted into a cultural center.
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Panorama 25 December Gaziantep Defense Heroism Panorama and Museum
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A municipal museum in the former Ayntâb Redif Depot near the castle, telling the story of the defense of Antep with a panorama, maps and documents.
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Pişirici Kastel
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
One of the best-known examples of 'kastels', the underground water structures unique to Gaziantep; it combines a fountain, an ablution area and a masjid.
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Rumkale
Nizip, Gaziantep
A medieval castle on a steep rock where the Euphrates and the Merzimen Stream meet, once the seat of the Armenian catholicoses; reached by boat in the middle of the dam lake.
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Şahinbey National Struggle Museum
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A museum telling the story of the defense of Antep with weapons, period items and documents, part of which is in a cave used as a shelter during the war.
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Şirvani Mosque
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A historic mosque just southwest of the castle, known for its two-balcony minaret and its sliding minbar set into the wall; its post-earthquake repairs were completed in 2025.
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Castle
Tilbaşar Castle (Turbessel)
Oğuzeli, Gaziantep
Turbessel, rising on the mound of a Bronze Age city near Gündoğan, an important castle of the County of Edessa during the Crusades.
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Tilmen Höyük
İslahiye, Gaziantep
A mound surrounded by branches of the Karasu, whose Middle Bronze Age palace and walls have been repaired and laid out like an open-air archaeological park.
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Tütün Han (Tobacco Han)
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A two-story, single-courtyard Ottoman han dated to the mid-18th century, notable for its black-and-white stonework.
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Yesemek Open-Air Museum and Sculpture Workshop
İslahiye, Gaziantep
The largest known Hittite quarry and sculpture workshop of the ancient Near East, where hundreds of unfinished basalt lions, sphinxes and reliefs lie on the hillside.
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Zeugma Ancient City
Nizip, Gaziantep
An ancient city on the banks of the Euphrates, founded by Seleucus I and famous for its mosaic-decorated Roman villas; the excavated villas are toured under protective roofs.
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Zeugma Mosaic Museum
Şehitkamil, Gaziantep
One of the world's foremost mosaic museums, displaying mosaics from the ancient city of Zeugma, including the famous 'Gypsy Girl', in an exhibition of about 1,700 m².
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Zincirli Bedesten
Şahinbey, Gaziantep
A domed bedesten in the heart of the historic bazaar area; repairs to the building, damaged in the earthquake, were completed in 2025.
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Zincirli Höyük (Sam'al)
İslahiye, Gaziantep
The capital of the Late Hittite and Aramean Kingdom of Sam'al; a large mound with the remains of a palace and citadel surrounded by a double wall.
Practical information
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.- Note
- Some historic buildings affected by the February 6, 2023 earthquakes may be under repair; check the current status of museums and archaeological sites at muze.gov.tr; visiting conditions at sites on the Syrian border such as Karkamış may change depending on the security situation
- Climate
- Hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters; daytime temperatures can reach 35–40 °C in July–August
- Best time
- March–May and September–November; the summer months are very hot, and the pistachio harvest takes place in August–September
- Getting there
- Gaziantep Airport is ~20 km east of the city (Oğuzeli); connected from the west by the Tarsus–Adana–Gaziantep (TAG) motorway and by motorway toward Şanlıurfa
- Getting around
- The historic center and museums are walkable; the Zeugma Mosaic Museum can be reached by tram and bus; a car or tour is needed for Zeugma, Rumkale, Yesemek and Karkamış