Gaziantep & Sanli Urfa

Thursday 05/06/2014 - Gaziantep
Historical Town, Turkish Pistachio capital and Turkish culinary hot-spot.

Gaziantep: 1.5M inhabitants.

Zeugma Mosaik Muzeum (Roman Villas' mosaics).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeugma_Mosaic_Museum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeugma,_Commagene 

Zeugma Museum.

 Feeling Archeologist, assemblying my virtual mosaic.

Oceanos and Tethys mosaic, 2nd-3rd Century.

Turkey, fragment of  Satyros and Antiope mosaic, 2nd Century.

The famous Gypsy Girl mosaic, 2nd-3rd Century (Mona Lisa style).

Fishing Angel, nice fragment of the much larger Nysaybin mosaic, 3rd Century.

In town.

Proud Kadayif cooks.

Excellent Kadayif, very sweet

Two identical monuments memorizing the killing of infants by the French army,

when occupying Gaziantep (from October 1920 to February 1921).

The citadel.

 Turkish coffee.

 Pistachio baklavas, mmm, the most famous Gullogulo bakery.

Mevlevi lodge Whirling Derviches museum.

Motorized rotating Derviche.

A cup of pistachio coffee (milk based), excellent !

06/06/2014 morning, Gaiziantep visit, 2nd day.

 Streets around the hotel.

Notice the tree growing out of window !

 One of the pictures participating to a drawing contest.

 With two plaster puppets.

 Ataturk ('Father of the Turks') Museum.

 Armenian church.

Decorated with bullet holes...

06/06/2014 afternoon, Journey from Gaziantep to Sanliurfa
Crossing of the Euphrates river.
Sanliurfa was held by the crusaders until 1144. Held by the French army until 1920 (after WW1).
Birthplace of the prophet Abraham. 
500k inhabitants.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Eanl%C4%B1urfa 

 Along the main street.

Entrance to the holy place.

Entrance to the cave where Abraham was born according to a legend.

Female entrance at the left hand side, male entrance at the right hand side.

There is not much to see in the cave.

The citadel of the crusaders.

The citadel.

 Access to the castle through a steep zigzagging tunnel
(looking downwards)

View from the castle towards Abraham mosque (right hand side)
and the peaceful Gölbasi garden (left).

 One of the lakes in the Gölbasi garden.
All around this lakes there are tables to drink tea.

Plenty of sacred carp fishes in the pond.
The legend says that one will go blind when catching one of them.

(Click to EXIT)