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Gaziantep Travel Guide

Gaziantep Travel Guide


Gaziantep, formerly known as Antep, is the central city of the province of the same name between Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and the Mediterranean Region. As a city in the south east, it has the largest population. It is the first in terms of industry and development. Gaziantep, Şehitkamil and Şahinbey are divided into two metropolitan cities. It is the central district of Turkey's 20th largest province in terms of development. Moreover, Gaziantep is one of the oldest cities in Turkey and still one of the oldest cities in the world. Besides these, Gaziantep also has a very important place in Turkish industry and trade. Among these, Gaziantep is located between Anatolia and the Middle East and it is close to the port cities. Among the symbols of Gaziantep are Gaziantep Castle, baklava and pistachio. However, none of these rumors is accurate. Ayintap name takes different forms like Antep, Entep and Antap over time. The most common of these names is Antep. In 1921 (after Antep defense), Antep is given a title of Gazi with a law issued. Historical times: "Gypsy Girl" mosaic, which was excavated from the ancient city of Zeugma and is now exhibited at the Gaziantep Archeology Museum. It is thought that the person in the mosaic is Gaia, the Goddess of the earth in Greek mythology. Dülük (Dolikhe or Doliche), located near the present day Gaziantep, is the oldest city in this region. It is known that archeological excavations have lived in this city since the Paleolithic period. However, after the Duke Early Bronze Age, a permanent settlement could have come. This city is very developed because it is located on the Silk Road. The city, which was under the Babylonian rule when it was first established, In the 1700s the year goes by the Hittites. After the Hittites, the city passed to the Egyptian government. 700-M.S. 546 in the chronological order Medler, Assyrians and Persians are ruled by. BC In the 6th century, the rule of the cities and the civilizations of Macedonia, Selevkos and Komagene begins. Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa, throughout history, are the fiefs of the province of Diyarbakir.

A New City

The Romans set up a new city called Antiochia ad Taurum for the relatives of Dülük. This city has become one of the centers of Jesus' choice of the Apostles to spread Christianity. Kent, M.S. In 395 the Byzantine Empire passed. The M.S. In 636, caliph Ömer bin Khattab, Ayintap to spread Islam, and Hatay region from the hands of the Byzantines. In this way the Ayıntap people accept Islam. In the meantime, Dülük quickly lost his former significance. After the victory of Alp Arslan in the Battle of Malazgirt in 1071, the city passes to Seljuk rule. The city, which had been handed over to Ayyubids for a period, passed to Dulkadiroğulları in 1389 and Mamluk State in 1471 with the attack of Mongols Ayıtap in 1270. Ottoman rule: After the victory of Yavuz Sultan Selim in Mercidabık Battle in 1516, Ayıntap goes to Ottoman rule. During the Ottoman period, many mosques, madrasahs, inns and hammams were built in the city. Between 1516 and 1596, the city also developed much in terms of production, commerce and handicrafts. Evliya Çelebi who visited the city twice in 1641 and 1671 writes that there are 22 neighborhoods, 8 thousand houses, 100 mosques, madrasa, han, hamam and a covered bazaar in the city. He says, "This is the City-i Ayintab-ı Cihan" with its wealth of goods, abundance and productivity, unlimited food and drink springs and rivers. In the Ottoman period Ayıntap was never in its own province, but first in Maras (present-day Kahramanmaras), then in Aleppo. However, Ayıntap's culture has not been much influenced by Arab culture. Defense of Antep: After World War I, the Ottoman Empire is torn apart by the Mondros Agreement. Antep was left in the United Kingdom on December 17, 1918. Antep was left to France on 5 November 1919. The Armenian Legion was also involved in this war. The people of Antep began their resistance in 1920 when the French troops settled in Antep. In January 1920, the gangs of the Karayılan command ambush a French cavalry unit. Sahin Bey, a militia power of 200 people, will fight against the French soldiers in Antep until March of 1920. The people of Antep surrender on February 9, 1921. The war lasts 10 months. On December 25, 1921, the French troops vacated the city in accordance with the Ankara Agreement.


The city center is surrounded by Kahramanmaraş in the north and north, Yavuzeli in the north, Nizip in the east, Oguzeli in the south, Kilis in the south, Nurdağı in the southwest and Islahiye in the west. Although there are many springs in Gaziantep, there are no natural lakes. So artificial lakes and dams have been built instead of many of the city. Gaziantep city was founded on Gaziantep Plateau. Alleben Stream, which passes through Gaziantep, separates two central districts. There is no natural forest near the city center. Therefore, an artificial forest consisting of redwood trees was added near the province. The city center is in the 2nd degree earthquake zone.


Due to its location, a mixture of Mediterranean climate and Terrestrial climate can be seen in Gaziantep. The weather is very hot especially in June, July, August and September. It is very cold in December, January and February. The highest temperature measured in Gaziantep is 42 ° C and the lowest temperature is -13 ° C. Between June and September, Gaziantep has the least rainfall. The most rainfall is between December and February. There is a huge temperature difference between day and night when the season changes. The humidity in the city is very low because it is not coastal. So the weather is not very hard.


Gaziantep is the largest province of Southeastern Anatolia Region in terms of population and the 6th largest province of Turkey. The population in Gaziantep is 1.912.223 people. The population density exceeds 421 square kilometers in central districts. The provincial population of 214,499 in the 1927 census increased by 534% over the past 70 years. This increase rate was 317% in Turkey for the same period. When Gaziantep was taken into consideration for many years, Turkey showed a population increase which is well above the population growth rate. This is because of the extreme migration.


Gaziantep is the richest city of Turkey in terms of economy due to its transportation possibilities and proximity to port cities. The most important subsistence sources in Gaziantep are agriculture, animal husbandry, energy resources, handicrafts, industry and commerce. With the completion of the Southeastern Anatolia Project, agriculture will be further developed in the city. In Gaziantep, which is extremely poor in terms of mineral resources, phosphate, manganese and bauxite are extracted. Agriculture is very important in the economy of Gaziantep. However, since precipitation is low especially in the summer months, agriculture has not developed as much as necessary. It is the most important agricultural product pistachio in Gaziantep. Most of the pistachio production in Turkey is obtained from Gaziantep. So much so that in 2007 only 60.000 tons of pistachios were produced in Gaziantep. Pistachios has its name from this city already. Even Pistachio Research Institute is in Gaziantep. In Gaziantep, olive and grape are important agricultural products as well as pistachio. In this way, Gaziantep has also grown very much in terms of agriculture. Although not as much as agriculture, animal husbandry also has a very important place in the Gaziantep economy. Although there are a lot of pasturelands in the province, it is inefficient and more cattle are raised in the city. It is the most grown animal shovel in the city. However, since they are not productive breeds, not enough products can be obtained. Many live animals are exported from the city to Arab countries. industry and Commerce Gaziantep has developed a lot in industry and commerce. All development in the city has been formed with the efforts of the private sector. Gaziantep has the biggest industrial site of Turkey. Gaziantep is also in the 5th place in the industry and trade of Turkey. Until recently, Gaziantep, whose trade is largely based on border smuggling, has now become an advanced trading center. The most important industrial branches in Gaziantep are cotton and acrylic yarn, carpet, flour, semolina, pasta, foodstuffs, vegetable oil, plastic, detergent production and leather production. Gaziantep has a share of 13% nationwide. The city also holds 90% of pistachio production and exports, 85% of nuts processing and exporting, 60% of pasta processing and exporting, 45% of cotton yarn manufacturing and exporting and 10% of towel manufacturing and exporting .

Gaziantep Culture

Handicrafts: There are many different crafts in Gaziantep. In the past, the most common handsheets in Gaziantep are leatherwork, copperwork, yemenicism, rugs, handwork and jewelery. Hand craftsmanship, copperwork and rugs still remain important. Especially Gaziantep's unique motifs and kilims and copper products are very famous. Types of kilims that are unique to Gaziantep are Baklava slices, Habbap foot, Bird Wing, Chain Belly, Elbow Belly, Talon Belly, Song Belly, Finger Belly and Atom Belly. There are also other handcrafts such as antep work, lace and knitting that ladies have made in almost every house. Gaziantep Cuisine: Gaziantep is a very rich cuisine, with a total of 512 kinds of food. As the food type, it takes the first place in Turkey with the most variety of food. [Citation needed] This kitchen has been enriched by blending various traditions throughout the years. Antep cuisine is especially famous for kebab and meat dishes. Alaca soup, six ezmeli kebab, arab köfte, baklava, beyti, börk vaccine, çagırtık kebab, çağırtlak kebab, chopping, sirloin kebab, plum tavası, firik pilaf, kavurma, kuşbaşı kebab, kuşneme, lahmacun, eggplant kebab, garlic kebab, Simit kebabı, onion kebabı, şiveydiz, rounding and new world kebab Gaziantep cuisine and only a few of the cuisine is unique.

Turks and folk dances

There are a wide variety of turkish peculiar to Gaziantep region. This turkish heroism can be divided into five as love, immigration and play turkeys and cries. There are Karayilan, Şirinnar, Alli Yemeni, Ezo Gelin, Mor Meni in Bahçalard and an İpekten carpet in their houses. Zardali, Emmoğlu and Deriko are only a very small part of the garden. Gaziantep is also very rich in terms of folk dances. These games are divided into heavy halay, playful halay and mystical games.

Historic sites and museums

The historical center of Gaziantep is located in the center of the city. In the south of Kalenin there is the târihi Naib bath. In the north of Kalenin there are many historical inns (Bayaz Han, Büdeyri Han and Şire Han). To the north of the inn is the famous Bakırcilar Bazaar, famous for copper treatments. Ilde Painting Mosque, Kurtuluş Mosque and Şirvan Mosque. In the Bey neighborhood, historic Antep houses are located. Another place to be seen is the St. Bedros Church. All of the places mentioned before this culmination have been restored under the name of the award-winning "Cultural Road Project". There are many museums in the province of Gaziantep. Along with the ongoing construction, Gaziantep will be a perfect beauty city. Below is a list of the museums in Gaziantep. Gaziantep Archeology Museum Gaziantep Mevlevihanesi Foundation Museum Şahinbey War Museum Medusa Glass Museum Hasan Süzer Ethnography Museum Zeugma Mosaic Museum

Parks and Gardens

Gaziantep hosts many parks and promenades. The 100th Year Park is the largest park in Turkey and the city is wandering from side to side. Celal Dogan Park, Fairy Tale Park and Hayri Tütüncüler are some of them. In addition, there are not many places in the city such as Harikalar Diyarı. Gaziantep also has the largest zoo in Turkey, Gaziantep Zoo. This zoo is the largest zoo in the Middle East and the Balkans, and the sixth largest zoo in the world. Other places to visit in Gaziantep include planetarium and botanical garden, which are still under construction.


In the first years of the Republic the literacy rate was 8%. Now the literacy rate on the front has exceeded 90%. There are many schools. In 1988, there were 6 private schools, 162 special schools, 5 private schools, 14 general high schools, 19 vocational and technical high schools, 3 science schools, 2 public education schools, 2 apprenticeship training centers, 1 educational tools and equipment center, 1 guidance and research center And 1 health education center. There are also 27 private courses and 1 teacher's house. There are also three universities in Gaziantep. These are Gaziantep and Gazikent Universities and Zirve University, which has just opened. Gaziantep University also has 17 faculties, 12 colleges, Turkish Music State Conservatory, 12 institutes and 9 vocational colleges spreading to the provinces of Kilis and Nizip and Oguzeli. There are 3 libraries in Gaziantep. These are Gaziantep Provincial Public Library, Şahinbey District Public Library and Şehitkamil Information Year District Public Library.


A wide range of sports activities are being organized in Gaziantep. These include football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, boxing, squad, judo, taekwondo, wrestling and mountaineering.


The most popular sports in Gaziantep are football like most of the others. In Gaziantep, there are 3 football teams besides amateur teams. Gaziantepspor is one of the few teams playing in Turkcell Super League in Turkey. If you look at the Super league points between 2000 and 2009, Gaziantepspor is in the 5th place after 4 big teams. Another team, Gaziantep Büyükşehir Belediyespor, plays in Bank Asya 1st League. Another team in the city is Gaskispor. This team plays in Turkish Football Federation 3rd League. These three teams use Kamil Ocak Stadium, which has a capacity of 16,981 people and night illumination. There is also a jogging track on the stadium.


Since Gaziantep was located between Anatolia and Mesopotamia, it has always been on trade routes throughout history. The most important of these is the Silk Road. Due to this reason, land and air transportation on the coast has developed very much. Since Gaziantep is not on the coast, sea transportation is not possible in the city. The nearest port is Iskenderun. Land transportation: Since Gaziantep has been on important trade routes throughout history, it has also developed in land transportation. Especially the E-24 highway, which makes the transition from Europe to Asia and Africa, plays an important role in the development of the city. However, the most important road on the east is the Gaziantep-Adana-Tarsus Highway. Gazintep Environment Road is still in construction. Every day from Gaziantep, there are railway services to Adana, Ankara, Birecik, Elazığ, Istanbul, Kahramanmaraş, Karkamış, Malatya, Nizip, Nusaybin and Osmaniye. The station, which entered service in 1954, still has an important place in transportation. Another terminal was opened in 2001. Public and municipal buses, minibuses and taxis are available in the city. It is also active in the light rail system.

Air transportation

Gaziantep has also improved in terms of air transportation. There is an international airport named Gaziantep Oguzeli Airport in the city. The airport is about 20 km from the city. Away. Every day, scheduled flights to Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Antalya are made, while flights to Ankara are connected to other flights.
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