Gaziantep

Gaziantep is a large city in the west of the Southeastern Anatolia Region. Its historic centre lies around the castle hill in the Şahinbey district. In 2015 UNESCO made Gaziantep a Creative City of Gastronomy, the first city in Türkiye in this category.

The castle has 12 towers. It was used as a lookout as early as the Hittite period and was heavily rebuilt under the Byzantine emperor Justinian in the 6th century. Inside is the Gaziantep Defence and Heroism Panorama Museum. South of the hill are the coppersmiths' bazaar, where masters still hammer copper by hand, and the Zincirli Bedesten, an 18th-century covered market. About 1 km north is the Zeugma Mosaic Museum.

Gaziantep Airport is in Oğuzeli, about 20 km from the city. The castle was damaged in the February 2023 earthquakes and then restored. Check whether the castle and its museum are open before you go.