Gaziantep Travel Guide

 
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Explore Gaziantep

Things to Do  

Gaziantep Castle

Gaziantep Castle, Gaziantep

 June.b Says:  It was under restoration when I was there in March 2013, so going up the citadel is not permitted. I was disappointed as it was my very first stop on this trip and it's already promising - NOT! So there I was, got contented gazing at it from below while munching on a chewy... 

Anadolu Hani

Anadolu Hani, Gaziantep

 June.b Says:  Just at the entrance of this bazaar are displays of portrait sized carpets of various faces, probably Turkey’s important figures and celebrities. Construction date of this han is estimated at the beginning of the 19th century. Thought to have been built in 1892 by Hadji... 

Zincirli Bedestan

Zincirli Bedestan, Gaziantep

 June.b Says:  The Zincirli Bedesten, locally known as “black steps bazaar” is one of the is an Ottoman era covered bazaar built in 1781 by Hüseyin Pasha of Darende. According to records, there was formerly an epigraph on the south gate written by Kusuri, but this inscription is not in... 

The Nuri Mehmet Pasha Mosque

The Nuri Mehmet Pasha Mosque, Gaziantep

 June.b Says:  This mosque is very near the hotel I was staying at (Ugurlu Hotel) and located within a very busy commercial district.As evidenced by Judicial Register and a firman (Ottoman royal decree), this mosque was built prior to 1786 by Nuret Mehmet Pasha. Two epigraphs on the... 

Naib Hamam (Historical Turkish Bath)

Naib Hamam (Historical Turkish Bath), Gaziantep

 June.b Says:  According to records, this turkish bath is built before the year 1640, as mentioned in Evliya Celebi’s travel book. It is considered to be the “apple of the eyes” of the city in respect to its great location and architecture and considered to be one of the unique works of... 

The Karagoz Mosque

The Karagoz Mosque, Gaziantep

 June.b Says:  This mosque was built by Koca Battal in the 18th century, according to maintenance records, the mosque was built in 1799-1800.The cut-stone mosque is rectangular in design, divided into 2 sections, each running parallel to the kiblah (in Mecca). Although only one of these... 

The Alauddevle Mosque

The Alauddevle Mosque, Gaziantep

 June.b Says:  This mosque was built during the reign of the last Dulkaderoglu Bey – Alauddevle Bozkurt Bey – between 1479 – 1550. Only the minaret remains from the original mosque. The present mosque was built between 1903 – 1909 from voluntary donations from locals and Sultan... 

Tarihi Yenihan

Tarihi Yenihan, Gaziantep

 June.b Says:  The main arched entrance of the Tarihi Yenihan has an inscription that says 1557, probably the year it was built. This han is near the Millet Han and the Gumruk Inn. Like most hans in Gaziantep, it has a big courtyard with several tables and chairs serving coffee and tea.... 

Hotels  

Tugcan Hotel

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Restaurants  

Kiyi restaurant: Euphrates fishes

Kiyi restaurant: Euphrates fishes, Gaziantep

 traveloturc Says:  This restaurant is located on the shore of Euphrate River.Thats why you can try the fishes aswell chicken and meat ( kebabs) 

palmiye restaurant: original antep food

palmiye restaurant: original antep food, Gaziantep

 traveloturc Says:  beside the stupid name of "palmiye" which means "palms" this is very interesting restaurant which is specialized with Antep food.The competition is fierce and all the restaurants are competing to serve the best samples of antep food but trust me this is the best place run by... 

Transportation  

Gaziantep Otogar (main bus terminal)

Gaziantep Otogar (main bus terminal), Gaziantep

 June.b Says:  The otogar is some distance out of the city centrum, about 30 minutes by minibus from the centrum. It’s a big terminal with bus companies offices where you can buy your bus ticket to almost all destinations in Turkey, either the big modern buses or minibuses or dolmush. The... 

Transport from the city centre to main bus termina

Transport from the city centre to main bus termina, Gaziantep

 June.b Says:  The bus terminal is a bit out of the city, about half an hour travel from the city centre and bus fare is TL1.50. The bus to the otogar is passing along Istasyon Caddesi, I’ve waited for it along the main road where everyone else is waiting almost opposite the Cumhuriyet... 

Shopping  

The bedestans and hanis: Local handicrafts

The bedestans and hanis: Local handicrafts, Gaziantep

 June.b Says:  fNeed to buy local handicracts at Gaziantep? Visit any of the historical bedestasn or hanis at the bazaar of the city, they’re almost beside each other. They carry lots of nice stuff like haberdasheries, footwear, souvenir items, glass and ceramics, carpets, local clothing,... 

Çetinkaya Gaziantep Hipermarket: Every day family mall

Çetinkaya Gaziantep Hipermarket: Every day family mall, Gaziantep

 fouads Says:  It,s a good hipermarket mall . where all families can find all good things in fare prices .Open from 9am till 10pm Supermarket - Clothes - shoes - home textiles & acc - electronics . low to high rate prices . 

Local Customs  

When we observe Gaziantep...
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evliyasems 189 reviews

When we observe Gaziantep throughout the history, we can find out about its very rich architecture which goes back in the history. If we mention the buildings in the city character, we should mention first houses, mosques, shopping centers, baths. It is possible to observe the influence of the climate, topographic characteristics, plantation and social life while building these structures.

It has the architecture suitable to the Northern Mesopotamian tradition as a typical Islamic city. Other buildings take place around the religious ones and are developed as integrated buildings.
Because it has the steppe climate and summers are very hot, the concept of having a yard is very important in the architecture. The yards are called 'Hayat' as most of life is spent there.

In Gaziantep manufacturing and trading have gained more importance than agriculture.

Many shopping centers were built in the settlements towards to Kozluca and around the castle. Tuz Ham, lki Kapili Han, Hiþva Haný, Yüzükçü Haný, Millet Haný were very busy shopping centers in the 16'h century.

Streets are very narrow and shady. There are some places called 'kabaltý' which are houses with a road beneath. There are only six 'kabaltý''s nowadays. There are also blocked streets called 'dehliz'.

Gaziantep Houses
Gaziantep houses are made of soft calcareous stones called 'havara' or 'keyrnik' and have thick walls. Generally, they are one-or two-storeyed, but there are some three-storeyed ones too.

The traditional Gaziantep houses displaying these features are situated mainly in the town center, in the Eyupogiu, Turktepe, Tepebaþý, Bostanci and Þehreküstü Quarters, and also near the Gaziantep Fortress.

BATHS
The baths, which were always a symbol of cleanliness, constituted an essential element of the social life of early times.The ones which have survived to present times are §eyh Fethullah Hamami, Huseyin Pa?a Hamami, Pa?a Hamami, Keyvanbey Hamami, lki Kapili Harnam, Naip Hamami, Nakipoglu Hamami, Tabak Hamami, Eski Harnam and Pazar Hamami.

KASTELS
The city of Gaziantep had poor water resources. In order to prevent the evaporation or loss of water, water was brought to the city through underground canals. In some parts of the canals water was saved by the building of large rooms (or underground reservoirs), which could be reached by long stairways. Of these facilities called 'Kastels', only lhsan Bey, Pi?irici, lrnarn Gazali and Kozluca kastels remain.

COVERED MARKETS (BEDESTEN)
Bedestens are long bazaars or markets, with a covered ceiling. The most important ones are Huseyin Pa?a Bedesteni, Kemikii Bedesten and Zincirii Bedesten.

Written Aug 26, 2002

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Tourist Traps  

a)COPPER-SMITHINGGaziantep...
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evliyasems 189 reviews

a)COPPER-SMITHING
Gaziantep copper-smithing dates far back into history. Copper items are produced as a complete piece using no alloy or solder.

b) MOTHER OF PEARL
The art of mother of pearl, the raw materials of which are seashells, walnut wood and wire, was developed in Middle Eastern contries and was passed on to the Ottomans after the 15'th century. Mother of pearl has been used in architecture, gun armaments, and fur over the centuries, using various motifs and patterns.

c) SILVER EMBROIDERY
Silver relics unearthed from the tumuli and ancient cities in our region, like those from Karkamýþ and, Dülük show us that the use of silver in embroidery has been common since very early times in our area. Silver embroidery workshops indicate that this art has developed very quickly in Gaziantep and provides a significant amount of foreign currency income.

d) YEMENÝ SHOES
Yemeni are shoes with stout leather soles and red or black leather uppers. They are heel-less and are very practical. The person making the shoes is called a 'KÖÞKER'.

e) ANTEP ÝÞÝ
This is Antep embroidery on a white fabric using off-white threads decorated with white, yellow and beige yarns and using 'various embroidery techniques.

The work is called 'Antep Ýþi' or Antep work because it was first made by the housewives of Gaziantep and the surrounding area.
The fact that it retains the characteristics of the old style of Turkish embroidery shows that it is special to this area.

Nowadays, without spoiling the original embroidery techniques and by using silver and coloured threads, and embroidery needles, very beautiful embroidery is made.

Besides these handicrafts, we can mention many different handicrafts made in Gaziantep such as woollen cloth weaving, zurna making, rug weaving, silk weaving, earthenware jar making, golds works.

Written Aug 26, 2002

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Off The Beaten Path  

Papirus Cafe

Papirus Cafe, Gaziantep

 traveloturc Says:  This is an old house example of antep recently restored and converted to a cafe You can try a turkish cafe in the beautiful garden in the shade of the trees 

The major mosques of the city...

The major mosques of the city..., Gaziantep

 evliyasems Says:  The major mosques of the city are Þeyh Fethullah Mosque, Boyacý Mosque, Ömeriye Mosque and Ahmet Çelebi Mosque. The Kendirli Church, which was constructed by the French Missionaries with the assistance of Napoleon III in 1860 is important and should be visited. The... 

Favorites  

Gaziantep is situated where...

Gaziantep is situated where..., Gaziantep

 evliyasems Says:  Gaziantep is situated where the Mediterranean region and South East Anatolia region meet. Gaziantep, a city which has common border with Syria, has most of its land in the west of South East Anatolia and some part in the east of the Mediterranean region. Gaziantep is... 

Visiting Archeology Museum,...

Visiting Archeology Museum,..., Gaziantep

 evliyasems Says:  Visiting Archeology Museum, Hasan Süzer Ethnography Museum, Visiting Historical Gazi Antep Houses and Gazi Antep Castle, Visiting Yesemek Open Air Museum, Ancient cities of Belkýs / Zeugma, Rumkale and Dülük / Doliche, Tasting Gazi Antep lahmacun (pancake with spicy... 

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Map of Gaziantep