Gaziantep

No reviews yetCity Gaziantep, Turkey

Zeugma Mosaic Museum, Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Turkey

Gaziantep Castle, Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Turkey

About Gaziantep

Few cities anywhere take food as seriously as Gaziantep. Pistachio baklava, smoky kebabs, lahmacun and dozens of regional dishes earned it a place among UNESCO's Creative Cities of Gastronomy, and its baklava carries protected status in the European Union. Locals still call the city Antep; the title Gazi, meaning veteran, was added after its long resistance during the Turkish War of Independence.

The old town around the castle mound is a warren of stone houses, covered markets and caravanserais where coppersmiths hammer trays and coffee houses serve the local menengiç brew. Its greatest treasure is the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, home to the Roman floor mosaics rescued from an ancient city on the Euphrates, including the famous Gypsy Girl.

The February 2023 earthquakes hit the region hard and damaged several historic monuments, including the castle, so check what has reopened before you go. Beyond the city, the fortress of Rumkale rises above the Euphrates and makes a rewarding day trip.

Best seasonApril to early June and late September to November; summers are very hot.

Ideal stayTwo to three days for the museums, bazaars and a serious food crawl.

ArrivingGaziantep Airport has flights from Istanbul and Ankara, and long-distance buses connect across Turkey.

11 Places Locals Love in Gaziantep

Museums 3

Zeugma Mosaic Museum

One of the largest mosaic museums in the world displays Roman floors and wall paintings rescued from the ancient city of Zeugma on...

Emine Göğüş Culinary Museum

Set in a restored stone house close to the castle, this small museum is devoted entirely to the city's famous food culture. Displa...

Hasan Süzer Ethnography Museum

A handsome stone mansion from the nineteenth century, built around a courtyard in the traditional Antep style, now shows how wealt...

Landmarks 2

Gaziantep Castle

Crowning an ancient settlement mound in the heart of the old city, the castle took its present shape in the Byzantine and medieval...

Kurtuluş Mosque Gaziantep

This striking building of black and white striped stone was completed in the late nineteenth century as an Armenian cathedral and...

Shopping 2

Coppersmiths Bazaar Gaziantep

In the old market quarter below the castle, the coppersmiths' street rings with the sound of hammers as craftsmen beat trays, pots...

Zincirli Bedesten

This stone covered market was built in the late eighteenth century and once served as a wholesale market hall for goods arriving i...

Food and Drink 2

Tahmis Coffee House

Dating back to the seventeenth century, this stone coffee house in the bazaar district is one of the oldest in Gaziantep and remai...

İmam Çağdaş

Run by the same family since the late nineteenth century, this restaurant near the coppersmiths' bazaar is one of the most famous...

Family 1

Gaziantep Zoo

Part of a large park complex on the edge of the city, Gaziantep Zoo is among the biggest in Turkey, with big cats, bears, giraffes...

History 1

Rumkale

Perched on a rocky spur high above the Euphrates north-east of the city, this ruined fortress was in the twelfth and thirteenth ce...

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Photo credits

Photo: Klaus-Peter Simon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Emin Başar ÖZDEMİR, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

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Photo: Emin Başar ÖZDEMİR, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: Dosseman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: Klaus-Peter Simon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photo: Emin Başar ÖZDEMİR, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

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Photo: Dosseman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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