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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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