Gaziantep, which is often described as "a gastronomy capital" as it has been included in UNESCO's Creative Cities Network, is often the first city on the holiday route of tourists who want to explore the region.
Featuring dozens of museums, particularly the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, home to the famous "Gypsy Girl" mosaic, whose pieces were recently brought back from the U.S.
The city also offers many historical and cultural attractions, including the Coppersmiths' Bazaar, Elmacı Bazaar and Gaziantep Castle.
Gaziantep Castle
The city boasts a rich food culture such as "beyran," a soup cooked with lamb at a high temperature and flavored with vinegar, spices and garlic.
Katmer is a fried, layered bread where pistachio and kaymak, a creamy dairy product similar to clotted cream, meet.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to try various kebabs and nearly 400 local foods for lunch and dinner.
In the evenings, many types of baklava that will add sweetness to your visit to the city that vacationers often describe as a place where gaining weight is guaranteed.
Visitors can return to their hotels to rest after drinking Turkish menengiç (terebinth) coffee, one of the local tastes.
The second stop vacationers prefer in the southeastern Anatolia region is Şanlıurfa, "the city of prophets," especially for its gastronomy and religious tourism.
Göbeklitepe, which was registered on the World Heritage List of UNESCO in July, is flooded by local and foreign tourists in every period in the city.
The most important haunt of the city that comes to the mind first is the historical Balıklıgöl (Fish Lake), which according to legends features is the birthplace of prophet Abraham.
Harran district, a nominee for UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List and identified with its conical-domed houses, is flooded by thousands of local and foreign tourists with the ruins of the Great Mosque, dating back to the period of Umayyad, and the first Islamic University.
Accepted to the Cittaslow network by the Cittaslow International Coordination Committee with its quiet, peaceful features, Halfeti district, which was half-submerged because of Birecik Dam, is among the favorites of the city.
Karacadağ Ski Center, which is at an altitude of 1,919 meters in the Siverek district, known as "the Mount Uludağ of the southeast," offers an opportunity to holiday goers to have an enjoyable time.
