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GENERAL INFORMATION
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Gaziantep ,the biggest city in the southeast of Turkey and the sixth biggest one in Turkey, is one of the first settlements in Anatolia.
Ruins which belong to the Stone, Calcoholitic and Copper Age, Hittite, Mitani, Assyrian, Roman and Byzantine, Islam and Turkish - Islamic Period can be traced everywhere in the area .
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The region was under the Hittite control in the 1700s BC. The ancient city of Duluk, which is in the north of the city today, was an important religious center of the Hittites. During the period of Caliph Omar as a result of the wars to spread the Islam out of the Arab Peninsula, the Moslem troops who defeated the Byzantine Army at Yermuk in 636 under the command of lyaz Bin Ganern captured the area. |
As a result the people admitted Islam and Omeriye Mosque was built in this period as a symbol of the conquest. After the .Manzikert victory in 1071, Suleiman Shah conquered Antep and surroundings in 1084 and annexed the area to the Seljuk Empire. On August 20,1516 Yavuz Sultan Selim Khan came to Antep and stayed here for three days. After Mercidabik Victory against Memaluks in 1516 the city came under the reign of the Ottoman Empire.
Gaziantep and the surrounding area, which was occupied by the French and English troops after the World Warl, received recognition everywhere in the world for its defense and unique heroism which amazed everybody.
Turkish Grand National Assembly granted Antep the "GAZi" title on February 8, 1921 because of this achievement.
Gaziantep, which was called Ayintap, Antep, Kala-i Pusus, and Hantap, got its name from the depth of the history and the title from the Independence War with full of heroism.
Gaziantep, which is a leader in trade and industry in the region, is an important city with its Independence War Memories, the rich historical and cultural surroundings, highways, international airport, train station, delicious foods, extraordinary handcrafts, mosques, fortresses, caravansaries, baths, tombs, churches, castles, plateaus, excursion and picnic places.
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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 surrounded by Birecik and Halfeti towns of Urfa in the east, Besni town of Adiyaman in the northeast, Pazarcik town of Kahramanmaras in the north, Bahce town of Osmaniye in the west, |
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Hassa town of Hatay in the southeast and Kilis province in the south. The lands of Gaziantep take place on the 38 28 and 38 01 east longitudes and 36 38 and 37 32' north latitudes. With 6216 square kms of lands, Gaziantep occupies 1% of Turkey's lands. The altitude of the city center 850 meters from the sea level but the altitude changes between 250 m. and 1250 m. 27% ottne land is occupied by lowlands.
Mountains in the boundaries of city take place in the north from the west of Araban lowland and lie towards the west of the city. These mountains which are extension of Southeastern Taurus Ridge have very smooth lines. The mountains in the west of the area are natural borders between Gaziantep and Kahramanmaraş-Hatay lowlands. Sof Mountains lie as extension of South East Taurus mountains. In the south of Sof Mountains lies Gaziantep highland. Dulukbaba mountains lie in the northwest of the city. The peak of Dulukbaba mountains is 1250 meters high. Gani Baba and Sarikaya mountains which are parts of Sof mountains in the direction of Hatay are about 1100 meters high. In the west of Gani Baba and Sarikaya mountains Islahiye lowland is situated and lslahiye plateau is situated in the east. Sam Mountains which are 1050 in. high are situated between Sof mountains and Dulukbaba mountains. Barak (Doganpinar), Araban, Yavuzeli and Oguzeli lowlands are important lowlands. Euphrates, Nizip , Afrin , Merziman and Alleben streams are important rivers.
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HISTORICAL PLACES
GAZIANTEP FORTRESS
Gaziantep Fortress is worthy of attention due to its hidden history and its magnificence and is one of the best examples of fortresses in Turkey.
Its exact history is not known, but, as a result of studies carried out, it was found that it was inhabited from the Calcoholitic Age. Its present form dates from the period of Justinian in the 6'h century AD. It is square in shape and has a circumference of 1200 metres.
The walls, which were built with large stones, were fortified by 12 towers. In addition, there is a mosque, a cistern and some ruins in the castle, and in the basement, caves, corridors, rooms and a water source may be seen.
BELKIS (ZEUGMA)
At Belkis (Zeugma), 10 km south east of Nizip, ruins from the Greek, Roman and Byzantine Periods can be seen in the village of the same name.
RUMKALE (HROMGLA)
Hromgia is 25 km from Yavuzeli and 62 km from Gaziantep. Although the precise history of Hromgia is unknown, it is thought to have been built during the late Hittite Period, around 840 B.C.
It is believed that in the Roman Period Chiristians made Hromgla a center of Christianity, and tried to spread Chiristianity to Hromgla and its surroundings. It is also said that John, one of Jesus' apostles, saved manuscripts of the Bible in in Hromgla which were later taken to Beriut. For this reason Hromgla is a sacred place for Christiants. When the crusaders were defeated and driven out of the region, the Moslems captured Hromgla and the surrounding area, and there are many remains in the castle and the area from the Turkish Islamic Period. In the castle, where characteristics of Turkish Islamic Ert can be found, there is also a mosque but it is not in use.
TILMEN TUMULUS
Tilmen Tumulus, 10km east of Islahiye, is 24m. high and one of the biggest tumuli of the region. Excavations have established there was a big city there in the late 3000s BC. The city consisted of inner and outer castles, the walls of which were fortified with large, cut stones.
TRADITIONAL GAZIANTEP ARCHITECHTURE
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 Han, İki Kapılı Han, Hişva Hanı, Yüzükçü Hanı, Millet Hanı were very busy shopping centers in the 16'h century.
Streets are very narrow and shady. There are some places called "kabaltı" which are houses with a road beneath. There are only six "kabaltı''s nowadays. There are also blocked streets called "dehliz".
GAZİANTEP 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 Eyüpoğlu, Türktepe, Tepebaşı, Bostancı and Şehreküstü 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 Seyh Fethullah Hamami, Huseyin Pasa Hamami, Pasa Hamami, Keyvanbey Hamami, lki Kapili Hamam, Naip Hamami, Nakipoglu Hamami, Tabak Hamami, Eski Hamam 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, Pişirici, 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 Pasa Bedesteni, Kemikli Bedesten and Zincirli Bedesten.
GAZIANTEP CUISINE
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Gaziantep cuisine, for many years, has held a privileged place among the cuisines of the world and in our country due to its traditional and regional richness of flavour.
The very special feature of Gaziantep cuisine is in the careful use of the ingredients in the preparation of the meals. All the ingredients are chosen with great care.
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Plentiful quantities of spices, tomato pastes and different mixtures give different tastes and flavours to the dishes. For the excellence of the flavor and the taste of Gaziantep meals the skills of the person preparing them are just as important as the quality of the materials.
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The following are the main Gaziantep dishes:
a) Meatballs (köfteler): içli köfte, çig kofte, ekşili köfte, ufak köfte, malhıtalı köfte, yoğurtlu ufak köfte.
b) Kebabs : Kuşbaşı (tike) kebap, kıyma kebabı, patlıcan kebabı, sogan kebabı, simit kebabı, ciğer kebabı, etc.
c) Other dishes that should be sampled : Yuvarlama, and lahmacun.
d) Desserts : Baklava, bülbül yuvası, künefe, burmalı kadayıf, antepfıstığı ezmesi, katmer, etc.
EXCURSION AND PICNIC PLACES
Excursions in the country which are called "Sahra" are held with the families and close relatives when it is very hot in Gaziantep in the spring and in the summer to get away from the noise and the heat of the city and to be in the nature. Country houses are visited. The follows are some of the picnic and excursion areas; Düllükbaba, Karpuzatan, Kavaklık, Dutluk, Nafak, Burc Forest, Burç Lake, Buyükşahinbey Town, Körkün Picnic Area, Rumkale, Nizip Karpuzatan Picnic area and Karapınar. |
