Archaeological sites in Gaziantep

Ancient Archaeological Sites

This collection highlights the significant archaeological heritage of the Gaziantep region, spanning from the Chalcolithic period to the Roman era. It includes Zeugma, renowned for its Roman mosaics, and the Yesemek Quarry, the largest known sculpture workshop of the ancient Near East. The list features the Iron Age citadel of Sam’al, the Hittite capital at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and several settlement mounds like Tilmen Höyük and Coba Höyük that reveal thousands of years of Anatolian history.

Zeugma

Founded by Seleucus I Nicator around 300 BC, this ancient city served as a vital Euphrates crossing. It is world-renowned for its extensive Roman villas and intricate floor mosaics, many of which were rescued before the Birecik Dam flooded the lower city.

Samʾal

Zincirli Höyük is an archaeological site located in the Anti-Taurus Mountains of modern Turkey's Gaziantep Province.

Carchemish

Carchemish, also spelled Karkemish, was an important ancient capital in the northern part of the region of Syria.

Yesemek Quarry and Sculpture Workshop

Yesemek Quarry and Sculpture Workshop is an open-air museum and archaeological site in Gaziantep Province, Turkey.

Coba Höyük

Coba Höyük, also known as Sakçe Gözü or Sakçagözü, is an archaeological site in southeastern Anatolia.

Tilmen Hoyuk

Tilmen Höyük is an archaeological mound located near the town of Islahiye, in the Gaziantep province of Turkey.

Doliche

One of the oldest settlements in the region, Doliche was a major religious center dedicated to Jupiter Dolichenus. The site features rock-cut tombs, a subterranean Mithraeum, and traces of a sanctuary on the nearby Dülük Baba hill.

Hacınebi Höyüğü

A Chalcolithic settlement on the upper Euphrates dating to the 4th millennium BC. Excavations revealed evidence of a Mesopotamian Uruk trade colony living alongside the local Anatolian population, highlighting early cross-cultural economic exchange.