Gaziantep has been continuously inhabited for at least 6,000 years — it sits on the ancient trade route between Mesopotamia and Anatolia, and every passing empire left traces. The city’s real fame, however, is culinary: the combination of Anatolian, Arab, Persian and Levantine influences has produced a cuisine of extraordinary depth — hundreds of distinct dishes using the local pistachios, lamb, pomegranate molasses, isot pepper and antep peyniri cheese.
The pistachio orchards around Gaziantep produce the most prized pistachios in Turkey — smaller and more intensely flavoured than the Iranian or Californian varieties. They appear in baklava, in kebabs (fıstıklı kebap), in salads and in sweets throughout the city.
- Region
- Southeastern Anatolia
- UNESCO recognition
- Creative City of Gastronomy (2015)
- Zeugma date
- Founded 300 BCE by Seleucus I
- Known for
- Baklava, pistachios, Zeugma mosaics, copper
Zeugma Mosaic Museum
The Zeugma Mozaik Müzesi is one of the great museums of the ancient world — 1,700 m² of extraordinarily preserved Roman mosaic floors from the city of Zeugma (modern Belkıs), rescued from the rising waters of the Birecik Dam in 2000. The centrepiece is the Gypsy Girl mosaic — a haunting 2nd-century portrait considered one of the finest examples of Roman portraiture in existence. Allow at least two hours.
Gaziantep Castle
Gaziantep Kalesi, rising above the old bazaar district, is a Roman fortress (2nd–3rd century CE) rebuilt by the Byzantines and later the Ottomans. Inside, a small museum documents the 1920 War of Independence battles around the castle, when Gaziantep’s defenders held off French forces for 11 months (earning the city the honorary prefix “Gazi,” meaning veteran). The castle walls offer excellent views over the city.
Baklava culture
Gaziantep baklava has protected geographical status — only baklava made in Gaziantep from Antep pistachios can legally be called Antep baklavası. The difference is real: 40 layers of hand-rolled pastry thinner than tissue paper, filled with fresh local pistachios, soaked in butter and light syrup. The best baklava in Gaziantep is eaten warm, straight from the oven, at one of the historic pastane (pastry shops) around the old bazaar.
Copper Bazaar (Bakırcılar Çarşısı)
The Bakırcılar Çarşısı (Coppersmith Bazaar) is one of the finest traditional craft bazaars in Turkey — an Ottoman-era covered market where craftsmen still hammer copper into trays, ewers, coffee pots and decorative objects by hand. Gaziantep is the last major centre of traditional copper craftsmanship in Turkey. Adjacent to the copper bazaar, the Zincirli Bedesten and the spice markets complete one of the most atmospheric bazaar experiences in the country.
Day trip: Nemrut Dağı
Nemrut Dağı, the UNESCO-listed mountain sanctuary of King Antiochus I (69–34 BCE), is 3 hours from Gaziantep. The site — giant stone heads of Greek and Persian gods arranged around a burial mound at 2,134 m — is one of the strangest and most spectacular monuments of the ancient world. Most tours combine Gaziantep with an overnight trip to Nemrut; best at sunrise.
Gaziantep in pictures
Frequently asked questions
Gaziantep
3Fly from Istanbul (IST or SAW) to Gaziantep Oğuzeli Airport — 1.5 hour flight, multiple daily services. Buses from Istanbul take 12–15 hours overnight. Gaziantep has the best air connections of any city in southeastern Turkey.
Two full days covers the Zeugma Museum, the castle, the bazaars, the culinary museums and plenty of eating. Add a day for a Nemrut Dağı excursion (long but worthwhile). Food tourism alone can justify 3–4 days — the city has over 300 registered traditional dishes.
Beyond baklava: Ali Nazik kebabı (lamb on smoky aubergine yogurt purée), fıstıklı kebap (lamb with pistachios), lahmacun (thin-crust meat flatbread), Katmer (pistachio cream in flaky pastry, eaten at breakfast), and beyran çorbası (lamb rice soup with garlic and red pepper).