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Gaziantep-Kahramanmaras
To travel
along Turkey's southern border, take the highway which
connects Gazi Antep, SanliUrfa and mardin.htm to Syria and
Iraq.
Gazi Antep, located on a wide and fertile plain cultivated
with extensive olive groves and vineyards, produces a variety
of agricultural crops. It is especially known throughout
Turkey for its excellent pistachios. Industry also contributes
to the local economy. The 36 towers of the city's fortress
were originally constructed in the Justinian era and were
later rebuilt by the Seljuks. The Archaeology Museum has
important items from Neolithic, Hittite and Roman times. The
Hasan Suzer House, from the turn of the century, has been
beautifully restored and houses the Ethnographical Museum. The
artisans of Gazi Antep specialize in copperware and furniture
inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The kitchens produce some of the
best lahmacun, a delicious pizza topped with spicy meat and
heros,and baklava, a honey and nut pastry.
West of Gazi Antep, the Duluk forest makes a good day's
outing, or you can stay overnight in the campsite. In the
woods, stroll through the Duluk archaeological site which
dates back to prehistoric times. A Hittite sculpting school
was centered in Yesemek, where the 200 works of art on view
reveal the beauty of Hittite art. Next to the Syrian border,
on the banks of the Firat River, Kargamis, once a late Hittite
capital, is another important archaeological site. The site's
finds, including immense bas-reliefs, have been moved to the
Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara.
The ruins of Belkis (Zeugma) are on the borders of
Nizip.It has a mound which has been turned into a citadel.The
mosaics from the Roman period are well worth seeing.
Kilis situated near the Turkish-Syrian border enroute to
Gazi Antep is an especialy charming area, dotted with
vineyards and olive groves on all sides. It was orginaly known
as Kilizi (mentioned in the Assyrian archives)and was a very
important town in ancient days for frontier commerce. It is
still famous today for its cotton, Silk weaving and leather
products. Several interesting sites in Kilis include the 16th
century Canbolat Bey Complex ancient 15th century baths a
dervish room dating from the 19th century, the 14th century
Ulu Mosque and the 16th century Akcurum Mosque.
Near Kilis there are several sites worth seeing.Enroute
from Kilis to Gazi Antep is Ravanda Castle, constructed by me
Crusaders and restored by the Mamelouks. Kuzeyne (Kuzuini)
located 5kilo meters northeast of Kilis resembles an open-air
museum with its castle and mosaics. Many diverse cultures
settled in this area, including: Hittite, Roman and Byzantine.
This is a perfect piace for archaeclogy buffs because there
are many ruins here. Korus (Kiriz) is 20kilometers east of
Kilis where an ancient Roman center with castle ruins, a
temple and theater are definitely worth seeing.
In the 12th century B.C., Kahraman Maras was the capital
of the Hittite state of Gurgum. A massive citadel built in the
2nd century B.C. houses the city's museum and its good
collection of Hittite sculptures. Other sites include the 15th
century UIu Mosque and the Tas Medrese. The ice-cream of
Kahraman Maras, thickened with gum arabic and beaten with a
wooden paddle, is known throughout Turkey. |
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