Gaziantep's museums bring together a depth worthy of the city's ancient name: from Roman mosaics rescued from the Euphrates to an archaeology spanning the geological ages, from home and culinary life recreated in traditional mansions to copper and toy collections, from the heroism panoramas of the Defence of Antep to the history of science. This page introduces the city's museums through the most striking works and stories they hold, and points to the detailed page of each.
These museums offer a surprising variety, both in their collections and in their settings. On one side stand the world-famous Roman mosaics rescued from ancient Zeugma on the banks of the Euphrates and an archaeology collection spanning the geological ages down to the Ottoman period; on the other, home and culinary life recreated with wax figures, craft collections reaching from copper to toys, replicas of historical scientific instruments and natural-history skeletons. The heroism panoramas of the Defence of Antep, in turn, translate the city's recent past into a vivid visual narrative.
Most of Gaziantep's museums are set in buildings within the city's historic fabric — traditional Antep mansions, hans (caravanserais) and hamams — so that the building is often as striking as the exhibition itself. In these settings the city also gathers a series of firsts: Türkiye's first culinary museum, the first zoology museum established inside a zoo, and one of the first museums born from a private collection. Examples like these make Gaziantep not only a capital of gastronomy but also a city with a deep-rooted museum tradition.
Below we have grouped the city's museums under five headings, from archaeology to city life, from cuisine to craft and to the history of heroism. By going to each museum's own page you can read in detail about its masterpieces, where those works came from and why they matter.
Archaeology & Ancient Heritage
Museums that bring the city's deepest underground layers to light, through works recovered from the banks of the Euphrates and the mounds of the region.
One of the world's most comprehensive collections of Roman mosaics — the Gypsy Girl, the Mars statue and works rescued from the riverside villas of Zeugma.
Founded in 1944, a chronological collection from the geological age to the Ottomans; the Katumuwa Stele, the Teşup orthostat and Late Hittite works.
City, Life & Memory
Museums set in traditional Antep houses and hans, devoted to the city's daily life, its memory and the figures who gave the city its name.
An ethnography museum recreating old Antep home life with costumed mannequin scenes inside an authentic Antep mansion.
A restored Antep mansion museum presenting Gaziantep’s marriage traditions, dowry culture, wedding rituals and family life.
The Gaziantep Digital Museum in Millet Bahçesi tells the city's history and culture through panoramic projection and 3D sound in a 250 m² display space.
Set in the 1909 Bayaz Han, it tells Gaziantep's history, crafts, cuisine and nature across 23 rooms.
In the 1577 Pasha Bath, a museum keeping Ottoman bath culture alive through tools and reenactments.
On the Gaziantep University campus, telling the city's cultural phases from the Antep dialect to crafts and children's games.
In a traditional Antep house in the Bey Neighbourhood where Atatürk was registered, documenting his bond with the city.
A biography museum gathering the belongings of Türkiye's first Tourism Minister Ali İhsan Göğüş and Gaziantep studies.
Cuisine & Flavour
Thematic museums in which a UNESCO City of Gastronomy brings its own table into the museum — from baklava to pistachio, from cheese to culinary culture.
Türkiye's first culinary museum — Gaziantep's world-famous cuisine told through wax figures and traditional tools in an Antep mansion.
In the historic Millet Han, presenting the art of baklava-making through traditional tools and a live, hand-rolled demonstration.
Designed in the shape of a pistachio, a thematic museum telling the Antep pistachio's history, varieties and harvest.
Set in a historic double bath, a thematic museum telling the history, making and culture of Antep cheese through simulations.
Craft, Science & Nature
Museums that tell the city's tradition of production and curiosity — from coppersmithing to the history of science, from natural history to toy collections.
In an Antep mansion, the roughly 1,060-piece copper collection gathered by collector Ali Atalar; the city's deep coppersmithing tradition.
In an early 19th-century stone school building, displaying replicas of Muslim scholars' medicine, chemistry, astronomy and navigation instruments.
Türkiye's first zoology museum, inside the Natural Life Park; mammoth, Dorudon and dinosaur skeletons and hundreds of species.
Curated by poet Sunay Akın in a historic Antep house, displaying around 600 toys from 1700-1990.
Defence & Heroism
Museums of heroism that recount the 1920–1921 Defence of Antep through the castle, a giant panoramic painting and the very cave in which the defence was sustained.
Within the historic castle on a Chalcolithic mound, the Heroism Panorama Museum recounting the Defence of Antep.
A heroism museum reliving the Defence of Antep through a 120-metre panoramic painting, dioramas and period documents.
In a 12-room historic Antep house and a 1,100 m² cave, telling the Defence of Antep through documents, weapons and reenactments.
These museums are not bound to a single theme: the Zeugma Mosaic and Archaeology museums tell the region's ancient heritage; the Ethnography, Culinary and City museums tell daily life; and the Castle, Panorama and Şahinbey National Struggle museums tell the city's heroic history. For where the works on display were unearthed, the Ancient Cities and Castles pages are complementary.
What Makes Gaziantep's Museums Special?
A few things set Gaziantep's museums apart from an ordinary walk past display cases. The first is the setting: a large share of the museums occupy stone Antep houses, hans and hamams in and around the historic Bey Quarter, which turns most of them into a walkable route woven into the city's ancient street fabric. The second is the storytelling: wax figures, dioramas, live baklava demonstrations and the real cave in which the defence was sustained place the visitor right inside an event or a tradition.
Many of the works in these museums come from the ancient cities and castles around Gaziantep. To complete the story of the Zeugma mosaics and the Late Hittite works, the Ancient Cities and Castles pages are a natural continuation; to read the city's history of heroism and its wider culture in full, the History and Culture Atlas pages carry the narrative onward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which museums should I see in Gaziantep?
Gaziantep brings together nineteen museums under five main headings: archaeology and ancient heritage (Zeugma Mosaic, Archaeology); city life and memory (Ethnography, Bayazhan City, Hamam, Culture History, Atatürk Memorial, Ali İhsan Göğüş); cuisine and flavour (Emine Göğüş Culinary, Baklava, Pistachio, Udma Cheese); craft, science and nature (Copper, History of Islamic Science, Zoology and Nature, Toy); and defence and heroism (Castle Defence, Panorama 25 December, Şahinbey National Struggle). If your time is limited, the world-famous Zeugma Mosaic Museum is a good place to start.
Where are the Zeugma mosaics displayed?
The Roman floor mosaics rescued from the ancient city of Zeugma on the Euphrates — before the waters of the Birecik Dam submerged the site — are displayed at the Zeugma Mosaic Museum in the city centre. The Gypsy Girl mosaic, which has become the emblem of both the museum and the city, is also here.
Is there a museum about Antep cuisine?
Yes — several, in fact. The Emine Göğüş Culinary Museum (2008), regarded as Türkiye's first culinary museum, tells the story of Antep cuisine as a whole; there are also thematic museums such as the Baklava Museum on the art of making baklava, the Gaziantep Pistachio Museum on the Antep pistachio, and the Udma Cheese Museum devoted to Antep cheese.
Which museums tell the Defence of Antep?
Three museums keep the 1920–1921 Defence of Antep alive: the Heroism Panorama Museum inside Gaziantep Castle, the Panorama 25 December Museum in the city centre, and the Şahinbey Museum of the National Struggle, which also takes in the historic cave where the defence was sustained. The Panorama 25 December Museum conveys the defence through a 120-metre panoramic painting.
What kinds of buildings are Gaziantep's museums housed in?
A large share of the museums are set in buildings within the city's historic fabric: traditional Antep mansions (such as the Ethnography, Atatürk Memorial, Toy and Copper museums), historic hans (the Millet Han that houses the Baklava Museum, and the Bayazhan City Museum) and hamams (the Hamam Museum in the 1577 Paşa Hamamı). As a result, in most museums the building is as interesting as the exhibition itself.