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From a sleepy town
famous for its pistachio nuts,
Gaziantep has grown to be the commercial
powerhouse
of Turkey's Southeast.
At the city center is the Kale (citadel)
which is truly ancient, dating back
some 9000 years; but most of the rest
of Gaziantep is new. The Archeological
Museum holds the Roman mosaics
recovered from the inundation of ancient Zeugma by
a dam project.
The Hasan Süzer
Ethnographic Museum is an interesting
old restored Gaziantep house fully
furnished in the fashion of the late
19th and early 20th century.
These sites won't detain you long,
but you may find Antep (as it is often
called) a good place to break your
journey. through eastern and southeastern Turkey.
During the Kurdish separatist
terrorism of the 1980s and 1990s, many
people living in towns farther east
fled the violence and uncertainty,
and came to Gaziantep (once called
Aintab) for a chance at a new life.
Soon the quiet old pistachio-growers'
town saw modern office buildings rising
in its center, and high-rise apartment
blocks on its outskirts. Its population
is pushing toward a million...but it
still grows some of the best pistachios in
the world. Try 'em plain, or in the
local baklava, which is wonderful.
For an atmospheric place to stay,
try the Anadolu Evleri.
Although Gaziantep is connected to Istanbul, Konya and Adana by
the Toros
Express train (3
days per week, 27 hours), the bus
service is faster and better.
Turkish
Airlines has daily flights from Istanbul and Ankara to
Gaziantep's Oguzeli Airport (GZT)
as well.
Distances & Travel Times
Adana: 220
km (137 miles) W, 3.25 hours
Adiyaman: 151
km (94 miles) NE, 3 hours
Ankara: 700
km (435 miles) NW, 10 hours
Antakya: 200
km (124 miles) SW, 4 hours
Istanbul: 1140
km (708 miles) NW, 16 hours
Kahramanmaras: 80
km (50 miles) NW, 1.25 hours
Kayseri: 450
km (280 miles) NW, 7 hours
Osmaniye: 130 km (81 miles)
W, 2 hours
Sanliurfa: 145
km (90 miles) E, 2.5 hours
Van: 692
km (430 miles) W, 10 hours
Southeastern
Turkey
Turkey
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