Gaziantep Travel Guide: Zeugma Mosaics, Bazaars and the Best Food in Turkey
Airport transfers, where to stay in the old city, the Zeugma Mosaic Museum and the Gypsy Girl, the coppersmiths' bazaar, baklava, beyran and katmer, and when to go.
Most people come to Gaziantep for the food, and they are right to: the city is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for gastronomy, and its kitchen is the reason many Turks travel here. But Antep is more than the table. The Zeugma Mosaic Museum holds one of the most important mosaic collections in the world, the bazaars still ring with coppersmiths' hammers, and the restored hans around the old centre make a city that rewards two or three days.
Getting to Gaziantep
Gaziantep Airport (GZT) lies towards Oฤuzeli, about 20 km from the centre; the flight from Istanbul takes roughly an hour and a half. Havaล shuttles, taxis and rental cars cover the airport road in about 30โ40 minutes depending on traffic. Once you are in the old centre, the castle, the bazaars and the hans are close enough to walk between.
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Where to stay
For a first visit, the historic centre around the castle, the Coppersmiths' Bazaar and the hans โ there are boutique hotels in restored stone mansions here. If you prefer a modern hotel or want to be closer to the Zeugma museum, look at the newer ลehitkรขmil districts.
What to see
Zeugma Mosaic Museum
Built to house mosaics rescued from the ancient city of Zeugma on the Euphrates before the valley was flooded by a dam, it is among the largest mosaic museums in the world. The collection's emblem is the Gypsy Girl, known for her gaze. The building was inspected after the February 2023 earthquakes, found undamaged and reopened.
The Coppersmiths' Bazaar and the bedestens
Workshops where copper is still beaten by hand, spice sellers and makers of yemeni leather shoes. Next to it stand the Zincirli and Kemikli bedestens, Ottoman-era trading halls that are now part of the walking route.
Tahmis Coffee House and the hans
Coffee has reportedly been roasted at Tahmis since the 17th century; drinking menengiรง coffee โ made from wild terebinth, not coffee beans โ is one of the small rituals of a visit. The restored hans nearby have courtyards full of cafรฉs and workshops.
Gaziantep Castle
The castle on the mound in the middle of the city was damaged in the February 2023 earthquakes and has been under restoration by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism; check whether it has reopened before building a day around it. The surrounding streets are worth the walk regardless.
Bayazhan and the city museums
Small, well-made museums in restored buildings cover the city's trades, its kitchen and its recent history โ a good way to understand why food matters so much here.
What to eat
This is the point of the trip. Baklava made with local pistachios is the city's signature, and the difference from what you have eaten elsewhere is not subtle. Beyran, a lamb and rice soup, is traditionally breakfast โ served from early morning. Lahmacun and the many Antep kebabs, yuvalama (a soup of meatballs and yoghurt eaten at holidays), katmer with pistachio and clotted cream for breakfast, and menengiรง coffee to finish. Take home pistachios, red pepper flakes and dried aubergines.
When to go
Summers are very hot and dry โ over 35 ยฐC is normal in July and August, which makes walking the bazaars hard work. AprilโMay and SeptemberโOctober are the comfortable months. Winter is cold but mild by Anatolian standards and the food tastes better for it; beyran on a cold morning is the argument.
Two days in Gaziantep
Day 1: Zeugma Mosaic Museum in the morning, lunch in the old city, then the Coppersmiths' Bazaar, the bedestens and coffee at Tahmis.
Day 2: Beyran for breakfast, the castle area and city museums, baklava in the afternoon, and a kebab dinner.