Gaziantep is one of the modern provinces of the region and also one of the oldest of Hittite origin. Being the center of pistachio nut cultivation in Turkey and with its extensive olive groves and vineyards, Gaziantep is one of the important, industrial centres of Turkey.
 
In the center of the city stands the Gaziantep Fortress and the Ravanda citadel as the reminders of past. The Archaeological Museum, with its important collections from Neolithic and the Hittite ages as well as the Roman and Commagene times, attracts many visitors. The surroundings of the city are also full of valuable Hittite remains. The Suzer House, which has been restored to its original beauty, now houses the Ethnographical Museum. The Yesemek Sculpture Workshop, 30 kms south of the town of Islahiye, is one of the world's first of this kind. Some of the other historical remains are the Belkis, and Kargamis Ruins by the town of Nizip. Dulluk which is close to the city center is ideal for those who would like to rest in a natural setting amidst forest and has camping facilities.
 
Gaziantep is famous for its three regional specialties. First is the copper-ware products you will not want to pass up.

The delicious lahmacun (a kind of pizza) is the second, while the third is the sweet pastry baklava, which Gaziantep makes the best in the world.Gaziantep, formerly Aintab (ancient Doliche), city in southern Turkey, capital of Gaziantep Province, situated about 1067 m (about 3500 ft) above sea level, in a wide and treeless valley near the Syrian border. The principal products of Gaziantep are striped silk and cotton dress material, tent cloth made from black goat's hair, morocco leather, soap processed from olive oil, and a sweet confectionery paste made from grapes. The dyeing of yarn is also important. Pistachio nuts, cereal grains, tobacco, and raw cotton are transported from the surrounding agricultural region to the city for export. Historical buildings in the area include the ruins of a Byzantine fortress. A mound located northwest of Gaziantep marks the center of worship of a Baal (Semitic deity) that was called Zeus Dolichenus by the Greeks. The city, originally known as Doliche, was probably founded by the Hittites before 1000 BC. Early in the 12th century, the city (then called Aintab) was captured by Turks and ruled by various occupying powers including Turkmen dynasties, Arabs, and Mongols. Aintab became part of the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. In 1920 and 1921, it became a center of Turkish resistance against French occupation. The occupying forces withdrew in 1921, and the city was renamed Gaziantep, which includes the Turkish word meaning “champion of Islam.”
 
The surrounding area is delimited on the south by Syria and on the east by the Euphrates River. It is noted for its production of wines, halvahs and baklava (sweets), and pekmez (grape preserve); other products include pistachio nuts, aniseed, tobacco, and goatskin rugs. A region settled since antiquity, it includes the ancient sites of Duluk (ancient Doliche; site of the shrine of Jupiter Dolichenus); Kilis (the Assyrian Kilisi); and the neo-Hittite city of Samal.

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 Age, Calcoholitic , Copper age, Hittite, Mitani, Assyrian, Roman and Byzantine, Islam and Turkish - Islamic Period can be traced everywhere in the area .
 
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.
 
Turkish Grand National Assembly granted Antep the "GAZi" title on Pebruary 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 handicrafts, mosques, fortresses, caravansaries, baths, tombs, churches, castles, plateaus, excursion and picnic places.

 Old Gaziantep City

Gaziantep City 

Gaziantep City Museum 

 Gaziantep City Museum

 Gaziantep City

 Gaziantep City Barrage

Gaziantep City 

Gaziantep City