Holiday in Gaziantep

About Gaziantep

Gaziantep, often referred to simply as Antep, is the gastronomic capital of Turkey and has been a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy since 2015. The city in southeastern Turkey, near the Syrian border, boasts over 6,000 years of history and combines oriental cuisine with Mesopotamian heritage. Gaziantep's cuisine is legendary: over 500 documented local recipes make the city the culinary epicenter of Turkey. The baklava from Gaziantep is considered the best in the world — paper-thin Yufka dough with pistachios and syrup, made by master bakers who have perfected the craft for generations. The pistachios from the Antep region are highly sought after worldwide. The Zeugma mosaics in the museum of the same name are among the largest and best-preserved Roman mosaics in the world. The Gypsy Girl mosaic with its penetrating eyes is the museum's landmark and one of the most famous artworks of antiquity. The mosaics originate from the sunken Roman city of Zeugma on the Euphrates. The Gaziantep Castle (Gaziantep Kalesi) overlooks the city and houses a defense museum. The historic bazaar (Zincirli Bedesten and Almaci Pazari) offers copper handicrafts, spices, baklava, and mother-of-pearl inlays. The Hasan Suzer Ethnography Museum in a restored Ottoman stone house showcases the traditional life of the region. Gaziantep earned the nickname Gazi (Veteran) for its heroic resistance against the French occupation from 1920 to 1921.