Gaziantep

Hellenistic period

Gaziantep is the probable site of the Hellenistic city of Antiochia ad Taurum^[13] ("Antiochia in the Taurus Mountains").

Medieval history

During its early history, Aintab was largely a fortress overshadowed by the city of Dülük, some 12 km to the north. Aintab came to prominence after an earthquake in the 14th century devastated Dülük.^{[2]: 22 } Following the Muslim conquest of the Levant, the region passed to the Umayyads in 661 AD and the Abbasids in 750. It was ravaged several times during the Arab–Byzantine wars. After the disintegration of the Abbasid dynasty, the city was ruled successively by the Tulunids, the Ikhshidids, and the Hamdanids.^{[citation needed]} In 962, it was recaptured by the Byzantines, upon the expansion led by Nikephoros II Phokas.^[14]

After Afshin Bey captured the fortress in 1067, Aintab fell to Seljuk rule^[15] and was administered by Seljuk emirs of Damascus. One of these emirs, Tutush I appointed Armenian noble Thoros of Edessa as the governor of the region.^[16]

It was captured by the Crusaders and united to the Maras Seigneurship in the County of Edessa in 1098. The region continued to be ruled by independent or vassalized Armenian lords, such as Kogh Vasil.^[17] It reverted to the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm in 1150, was controlled by the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia between 1155–1157 and 1204–1206 and captured by the Zengids in 1172 and the Ayyubids in 1181. It was retaken by the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm in 1218.^{[citation needed]}

With the turn of the 13th-century, Dülük became one of Aintab's dependencies according to geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi. In the next century, Aintab was the capital of its district and a town with fine markets much frequented by merchants and travellers, while Dülük was in ruins, according to Abulfeda.^[18] Still, Aintab continued to be hotly contested throughout these centuries.^{[2]: 22–3 } It was besieged by the Mongols in 1270.^{[2]: 23 }

It repeatedly changed hands between the Ilkhanate and the Mamluk Sultanate or the Dulkadirids, a Turkoman vassal state of the Mamluks. Gaziantep was near the southern frontier of the Dulkadir emirate, and on several occasions it slipped out of their control.^{[2]: 23 } The Ilkhans ruled over it between 1260 and 1261, 1271–1272, 1280–1281 and 1299–1317. The Mamluks controlled the city between 1261 and 1271, 1272–1280, 1281–1299, 1317–1341, 1353–1378, 1381–1389. It was unsuccessfully besieged by the Dulkadir leader Sevli Beg in 1390. Although the Mamluks and their Dulkadirid vassals could control the city from 1395 until the Ottoman conquest in 1516, the city was besieged by Timur in 1400, and then in 1420 by the leader Qara Qoyunlu of Kara Yusuf.^{[2]: 23 }

These attacks all caused destruction and suffering among the local population. But at the same time, the city was "acquiring a reputation as a cultured urban center". Badr al-Din al-Ayni, an Aintab native who became a successful diplomat, judge, and historian under the Mamluks, wrote at the end of the 1300s that the city was called "little Bukhara" because so many scholars came to study there. Ayni also left a firsthand account of the suffering caused during Sevli Beg's siege in 1390.^{[2]: 23 }

Another rough patch for Aintab's people came in the late 1460s, when the Dulkadir prince Şehsuvar rebelled against the Mamluks.^{[2]: 25 } Mamluk forces captured Aintab in May 1468, driving out Şehsuvar's forces; a report by the governor of Aleppo indicates that resistance had been fierce. Just a month later, Şehsuvar recaptured Aintab after four "engagements" with Mamluk forces. After Şehsuvar's final defeat and public execution by the Mamluks in 1473, Gaziantep enjoyed a period of relative peace and stability under his brother and successor Alaüddevle. Alaüddevle appears to have considered Gaziantep an important possession and commissioned several constructions in the city, including a reservoir and a large mosque in the middle of town. The city's fortress was also renovated, completed in 1481. These repairs were likely ordered by the Mamluk sultan Qaitbay during his tour of northern Syria in 1477; his name is inscribed above the entrance portal, perhaps symbolically marking his territory.^{[2]: 26 }

The end of the Dulkadir principality came around 1515. Alaüddevle refused to fight alongside the Ottomans at the Battle of Chaldiran in 1514. The Ottomans used this as a pretext to overthrow him, and in June 1515 he was executed.^{[2]: 24 } As Alaüddevle had been a Mamluk vassal, the Mamluks considered this an affront, and the Mamluk sultan Qansuh al-Ghawri mobilized an army and marched north towards Aleppo.^{[2]: 25 }

The conflict over the region meant that in Gaziantep, anxieties about the fate of the city and its surroundings must have been high. Later court records from the early 1540s provide documentary evidence of "dislocation and loss of population" as people fled; this may have been more pronounced in rural areas than in the city itself.^{[2]: 30 }

Ottoman period

The Ottoman Empire captured Gaziantep just before the Battle of Marj Dabiq in 1516, under the reign of Sultan Selim I. In the Ottoman period, Aintab was a sanjak centred initially in the Dulkadir Eyalet (1516–1818), and later in the Aleppo vilayet (1908–1918).^{[citation needed]} It was also a kaza in the Aleppo vilayet (1818–1908). The city established itself as a centre for commerce due to its location straddling trade routes.^{[citation needed]}

Although it was controlled by the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia only between 1155–1157 and 1204–1206, for most of the last two millennia, Gaziantep hosted a large Armenian community.^{[citation needed]} Armenians played a significant role in the city's history, culture, welfare, and prosperity. These communities no longer exist in the city due to the Hamidian massacres in 1895 and the Armenian genocide in 1915.^{[citation needed]}

Gaziantep served a significant trade route within the Ottoman Empire. Armenians were active in manufacturing, agriculture production and, most notably, trade, and became the wealthiest ethnic group in the city,^[19] until their wealth was confiscated during the Armenian genocide.^[20]

17th through 19th centuries

The 17th-century Turkish traveller Evliya Çelebi noted it had 3,900 shops and two bedestens.

In 1818, Gaziantep was moved back into the Aleppo province.^{[2]: 27 }

By the end of the 19th century, Aintab had a population of about 45,000, two-thirds of whom were Muslim—largely Turkish, but also partially Arab. A large community of Christians lived in the Armenian community. In the 19th century, considerable American Protestant Christian missionary activity occurred in Aintab.^[21][22] In particular, Central Turkey College was founded in 1874 by the American Mission Board and largely served the Armenian community. The Armenians were systemically slaughtered during the Hamidian massacres in 1895 and later the Armenian genocide in 1915.^[23][24] Consequently, the Central Turkey College was transferred to Aleppo in 1916.

Republic of Turkey

After the First World War and Armistice of Mudros, Gaziantep was occupied by the United Kingdom on 17 December 1918, and it was transferred to France on 5 November 1919.^[25] The French Armenian Legion was also involved in occupation. In April 1920 irregular Turkish troops known as Kuva-yi Milliye besieged the city,^[26] but the 10-month-long battle resulted in French victory.^[27] Around 6,000 Turkish civilians were killed in the process.^[28]

The French made the last attempt to revive the Armenian community in the city during the Siege of Aintab, where the Armenians who fled the genocide were promised their homes back in their native lands. However, on 25 December 1921, the Treaty of Ankara was signed, and as a result, the French evacuated the city.

According to Ümit Kurt, born in modern-day Gaziantep and an academic at Harvard's Center for Middle East Studies, "The famous battle of Aintab against the French … seems to have been as much the organised struggle of a group of genocide profiteers seeking to hold onto their loot as it was a fight against an occupying force. The resistance … sought to make it impossible for the Armenian repatriates to remain in their native towns, terrorising them [again] to make them flee. In short, not only did the local … landowners, industrialists, and civil-military bureaucratic elites lead to the resistance movement, but they also financed it to cleanse Aintab of Armenians."^[29] The same Turkish families who made their wealth through the expropriation of Armenians in 1915 and 1921/1922 continued to dominate the city's politics through the one-party period of the Republic of Turkey.^[30]

In 2013, Turkey, a member state of NATO, requested deployment of MIM-104 Patriot missiles to Gaziantep to be able to respond faster in a case of military operation against Turkish soil in the Syrian Civil War, which was accepted.^[31]

On 6 February 2023, the city and nearby areas were devastated by catastrophic earthquakes. Around 900 buildings collapsed^[32] and 10,777 other buildings were heavily damaged in the city, which have been slated for demolition.^[33] Historic buildings including the Gaziantep Castle, the Şirvani Mosque and the Liberation Mosque were also heavily damaged.

Climate

Köppen map of Gaziantep Province and surrounding regions:^[35]

•   BSh
•   Csa
•   Dsa
•   Dsb

Gaziantep has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa, Trewartha: Cs), with very hot, dry summers and cool, wet and often snowy winters.

According to 1966 data, on average, Gaziantep experiences 4.6 snowy days per winter with 10 days of snow cover, along with 2.5 days of hail.^{[36]: 302 }

Highest recorded temperature: 44.0 Â°C (111.2 Â°F) on 29 July 2000 and 14 August 2023
Lowest recorded temperature: −17.5 Â°C (0.5 Â°F) on 15 January 1950^[37]

Mayors Of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality

History

In early 14th century, Arab geographer Dimashki noted that the people of Aintab were Turkomans.^[18] Aintab continued to be Turkish or Turkoman majority through 18th,^[49] 19th,^{[50][51][52][53]} and 20th centuries.^{[54][55][11][5]} Armenians inhabited Aintab from at least 10th century until the Armenian genocide.^[56] Having abandoned Armenian in favour of Turkish as early as the 16th century,^[57] the Armenians of Aintab predominantly spoke Turkish,^{[58][49][59][60][53]} while the usage of Armenian increased after 1850.^[57] The city also housed a smaller Jewish minority predominantly of Sephardic origin.^[61] The Jewish population quickly decreased in mid-20th century, reaching zero people by 1980s.^[62] Unlike most Southeastern Anatolian cities, the city of Gaziantep did not have a significant Kurdish minority until the 20th century, when it saw an increase in its Kurdish population through economically motivated migration from Turkish Kurdistan.^[63] Up until the late 2010s, the Kurdish population increased to one fourth of the city and the province with 400,000 - 450,000 Kurds.^[48] In the late Ottoman era, the city included a number of Europeans and Americans.^[64] Aintab also had a sizable Uzbek minority dating back to the Ottoman rule.^[65][66]

Cuisine

Gaziantep is largely regarded as the city with the richest cuisine in Turkey.^[69] It was the first city in Turkey to be designated as a City of Gastronomy by UNESCO in 2015.^[70][71] In 2013, Gaziantep baklava became the first Turkish product with a European protected designation of origin and geographical indication.^[72]

The cuisine of Aintab was attested to be "rich" by many travellers throughout the centuries. 19th-century British traveller noted:^[73]

"The padishah himself would do well to visit Aintab, just to taste the rich food to be found there."

Types of kofta (Turkish: köfte; Gaziantep dialect: küfte^[74]) include içli küfte (lit. 'stuffed kofta'), sini küfte, yoğurtlu küfte, yağlı küfte (lit. 'greasy kofta'), tahinli küfte, pendir ekmekli küfte (lit. 'kofta with bread and cheese'), and more.^[75] Some koftas do not include any meat such as yapma^[76] and malhıtalı küfte (lit. 'lentil kofta').^[77]

Pilafs in the Aintab cuisine often accompany the main dish and are not the main course alone. Traditionally, bulgur is used for the pilafs. The bulgur pilafs can include orzo (Şehriyeli bulgur pilavı; Şʿāreli burgul pilov) or ground beef (Kıymalı aş or Meyhane pilavı, lit. 'tavern pilaf').^[75]

There are several types of exclusively-Armenian soups in Aintab cuisine. These include vardapet soup and omız zopalı.^[75]

Vegetable dishes of Aintab often include meat but can be vegetarian as well. These include dorgama (doğrama), moussaka, bezelye, bakla, kuru fasulye, mutanya, türlü,^[75] and kabaklama.^[78] Dolma is a very common dish, different variants of which are cooked. One is kış dolması (lit. 'winter dolma'), for which dried vegetables, such as squash, eggplants, and peppers are used.

Common sweets include bastık and sucuk.

As of 2025^[update], Gaziantep holds 107 registered geographical indications and patents granted by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, most of them food-related.^[79]

BBC called pistachios "the single most important ingredient" in the cuisine of Gaziantep, remains of pistachios dating back to the 3rd millennium BC have been found in an archeological site within 50 kilometers of the city.^[80]

Local Turkish dialect

The local Turkish dialect of Gaziantep is classified as a part of the Western Turkish dialects based on phonetic and grammatical similarities.^[81][82] The dialect carries influences mainly from Armenian and Arabic.^[83] The local Turkish dialect of Gaziantep is an integral part of the native identity of the city^[84] and is being preserved through often humorous plays by theatrical troupes, such as Çeled Uşaglar (lit. naughty children).^[85]

Museums

The Gaziantep Museum of Archaeology has collections of ceramic pieces from the Neolithic Age; various objects, figures and seals from the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages; stone and bronze objects, jewellery, ceramics, coins, glass objects, mosaics and statues from the Hittite, Urartu, Greek Persian, Roman, Commagene, and Byzantine periods.

The Zeugma Mosaic Museum houses mosaics from Zeugma and other mosaics, a total of 1,700 square metres (18,000 sq ft).^{[86][citation needed]} It opened to the public on 9 September 2011.^[87]

The Hasan Süzer Ethnography Museum, a restored late-Ottoman stone building, has the old life style decoration and collections of various weapons, documents, instruments used in the defence of the city as well as the photographs of local resistance heroes. It was originally built in 1906 as the home of Garouj Karamanoukian.

Some of the other historical remains are the Zeugma (also called Belkıs in Turkish), and Kargamış ruins by the town of Nizip and slightly more to the north, Rumkale.

Yesemek Quarry and Sculpture Workshop is an open-air museum located in the village known by the same name, 30 km (19 mi) south of the town of Islahiye. It is the largest open-air sculpture workshop in the Near East and the ruins in the area date back to the Hittites.

The Gaziantep Defence Museum: before you enter the Panorama Museum located within the Gaziantep Castle, you encounter the statues of three local heroes Molla Mehmet Karayılan, Şehit Mehmet Kâmil and Şahin Bey at the entrance. As you enter the museum, you hear the echoes: "I am from Antep. I am a hawk (Şahin)." The Gaziantep War Museum, in a historic Antep house (also known as the Nakıpoğlu House) is dedicated to the memory of the 6,317 who died defending the city, becoming symbols of Turkey's national unity and resolve for maintaining independence. The story of how the Battle of Antep is narrated with audio devices and chronological panels.

• 
  Gaziantep War Museum Courtyard
• 
  Gaziantep War Museum Arms display
• 
  Gaziantep War Museum Strategy
• 
  Gaziantep War Museum Smithy
• 
  Gaziantep War Museum Mining
• 
  Gaziantep War Museum Children at war

Gaziantep Mevlevi Lodge Foundation Museum

The Antep Mevlevi Lodge in 1638 as a Mevlevi monastery. The dervish lodge is part of the mosque's külliye (Islamic-Ottoman social complex centred around a mosque). It is entered via a courtyard which opens off the courtyard of the mosque. In 2007, the building was opened as the Gaziantep Mevlevi Culture and Foundation Works Museums.

• 
  Gaziantep Mevlevi Museum Study group
• 
  Gaziantep Mevlevi Museum Whirling
• 
  Gaziantep Mevlevi Museum Musicians
• 
  Gaziantep Mevlevi Museum Graves

Emine Göğüş Cuisine Museum Gaziantep is known for its cuisine and food culture. A historical stone house built in 1904 has been restored and turned into the Emine Göğüş Cuisine Museum. The museum opened as part of the celebrations for the 87th anniversary of Gaziantep's liberation from French occupation.

Historical sites

Places of worship

See also: List of places of worship in Gaziantep

Liberation Mosque, the former Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God (Surp Asdvadzadzin), was converted into a mosque after the liberation of the city from the occupying French forces following the Franco-Turkish War (1918–1921). The French forces which occupied the city between 1918 and 1921 included the French Armenian Legion.

Boyacı Mosque, a historic mosque in the Şahinbey district, was built by Kadı Kemalettin in 1211 and completed in 1357. It has one of the world's oldest wooden minbars which is elaborately adorned with Koranic verses, stars and geometric patterns. Its minaret is considered one of the symbols of the city.

Şirvani Mosque (Şirvani Mehmet Efendi Mosque), also called İki Şerefeli Cami, is one of the oldest mosques of Gaziantep, located in the Seferpaşa district. It was built by Şirvani Mehmet Efendi.

Ömeriye Mosque, a mosque in the Düğmeci district. Tradition states that it was first built during the period of the Islamic Caliphate under the second Caliph, Omar (hence its name), which would make it the oldest known mosque in Gaziantep. The modern mosque was restored at the site in 1850. It is known for its black and red marble mihrab.

Şeyh Fethullah Mosque, a historic mosque built in 1563 and located in Kepenek. It has adjoining Turkish baths and a medrese.

Nuri Mehmet Pasha Mosque, a mosque in Çukur built in 1786 by nobleman Nuri Mehmet Pasha. Between 1958 and 1968, it was changed into museum but was reinstated as a mosque after an extensive restoration.

Ahmet Çelebi Mosque, a mosque in Ulucanlar that was built by Hacı Osman, in 1672. It is noted for its elaborate wooden interior.

Tahtani Mosque, a wooden mosque located in Şahinbey, that was built in 1557. The mosque has a unique red marble mihrab.

Alaüddevle Mosque (Ali Dola Mosque), built by Dulkadir bey Alaüddevle Bozkurt. Its construction started in 1479 and was completed in 1515. It has been restored recently with the addition of a new entrance.

Ali Nacar Mosque, a mosque in Yaprak, Şehitkamil, is one of the biggest mosques in Gaziantep, originally built by Ali Nacar. It was enlarged in 1816.

Eyüpoğlu Mosque, a mosque built by the local Islamic saint Eyüboğlu Ahmet during the 14th century. There has been a major restoration, so much so that the present structure hardly resembles the original building.

Kendirli Church, a church that was built in 1860 by means of the assistance of French missionaries and Napoleon III. It is a Catholic Armenian church. It has a rectangular plan and was built through white cut stones on a foundation of black cut stone within a large garden.

Other

Zeugma is an ancient city which was established at the shallowest passable part of the river Euphrates, within the boundaries of the present-day Belkıs village in Gaziantep Province. Due to the strategic character of the region in terms of military and commerce since antiquity (Zeugma was the headquarters of an important Roman legion, the Legio IV Scythica, near the border with Parthia) the city has maintained its importance for centuries, also during the Byzantine period.

Gaziantep Castle, also known as Gala (lit. 'the castle'), located in the centre of the city displays the historic past and architectural style of the city. Although the history of castle is not fully known, as a result of the excavations conducted there, Bronze Age settlement layers are thought to exist under the section existing on the surface of the soil.

Pişirici Kastel, a "kastel" (fountain) which used to be a part of a bigger group of buildings, is thought to have been built in 1282. "Kastels" are water fountains built below ground, and they are structures peculiar to Gaziantep. They are places for ablution, prayer, washing and relaxation.

Old houses of Gaziantep, the traditional houses that are located in the old city: Eyüboğlu, Türktepe, Tepebaşı, Bostancı, Kozluca, Şehreküstü and Kale. They are made of locally found keymik rock and have an inner courtyard called the hayat, which is the focal point of the house.

Tahmis Coffee House, a coffee house that was built by Mustafa Ağa Bin Yusuf, a Turkmen^[88] ağa and flag officer, in 1635–1638, in order to provide an income for the dervish lodge. The building suffered two big fires in 1901 and 1903.

The Jansen plan (1938)

In the first years of the Republic of Turkey, new city planning laws were enacted requiring all major cities to have development plans.^{[93]: 64 } In 1938, the Gaziantep municipality requested that Hermann Jansen draw up a plan for the city.^{[95]: 200 : 199–200 } The resulting Jansen plan was the first large-scale city planning initiative in Gaziantep, and many of its proposals were ultimately put into action.^{[93]: 67 }

The Jansen plan sought to preserve the existing urban character of Gaziantep while also planning new areas outside the traditional core.^{[93]: 64 } It mainly focused on new development on the north, south, and west sides of the city.^{[95]: 200 } New industrial zones were drawn up along important transportation arteries, particularly the Nizip and Aleppo roads.^{[95]: 200 } The most important was a 33-hectare industrial zone on the north side of town, which was to be connected to the railway network.^{[95]: 200 } The new industrial area was specifically chosen to be on the northeast because the prevailing wind direction is from the northwest, so this way air pollution would not be blown over the city.^{[93]: 66 }

The plan introduced several important changes to the city's transportation network.^{[93]: 64 } One of the most important was the addition of a rail line to connect Gaziantep to the national rail system.^{[93]: 64 } Up to now, Turkish railway construction had ignored Gaziantep (partly because of its mountainous surroundings); a national railway plan also introduced in 1938 left Gaziantep unconnected to the rail network.^{[95]: 198–9 } The Jansen plan represented the first major proposal to construct a railway to Gaziantep.^{[95]: 200 } Jansen wanted to put the train station on the north side of the city, for multiple reasons.^{[93]: 64–5 } First, because the topography on the north side is flatter; and second, because putting a railway on the south side would separate the old town from the new planned residential areas further south, which Jansen wanted to avoid.^{[93]: 65 }

Jansen also planned significant changes to the city's streets, opening up several new boulevards and widening pre-existing streets to help make a continuous transportation network.^{[93]: 65 } He proposed combining the Narlı and Aleppo roads into İsmet İnönü Caddesi, which was to be the main transportation axis of the city.^{[93]: 65 } The existing commercial axis along the Aleppo road, lined with hans and marketplaces, was to be expanded with new commercial buildings along the new İnönü Cd.^{[93]: 65–6 } The plan also sought to create a SW-NE axis connecting the Kilis and Nizip roads by way of İstasyon Caddesi in the north and Atatürk Caddesi in the west; this axis would also be connected to İnönü Cd.^{[93]: 65 } Two important pre-existing streets in the old town, Suburcu Cd and Eski Saray Cd, would also be expanded and connected with these other streets.^{[93]: 65 } Finally, besides road and rail, Jansen also proposed the construction of an airport on the west side of town.^{[93]: 65 }

One of the most important features of the Jansen Plan was the designation of a green belt along Alleben Creek, running east–west across the entire city, where no construction was to take place.^{[93]: 66 } This would provide a large open recreational area.^{[93]: 66 } Jansen also proposed a large area to the north of the creek to be used for sports fields and a hippodrome, although these were never built.^{[93]: 66 }

The Jansen plan zoned for new residential areas to the south of the old city.^{[93]: 65 } This may have been done to follow the pre-existing main axis along the southbound Aleppo road.^{[93]: 65 } It may have also been because Jansen wanted the existing houses of the old city to be visible from the south.^{[93]: 65 } He wanted to build new residential areas in a similar fashion, with two-story houses arranged on parallel streets that followed the slope of hills.^{[93]: 65 } In order to provide space for the southward residential expansion, Jansen proposed that the pre-existing cemetery on the south side of town be moved to a new planned location in the northeast.^{[93]: 65–6 }

To the northwest of the old city, Jansen wanted to build one-story houses among vineyards in a low-density agricultural area.^{[93]: 65 } The proposed workers' quarter, in the northeast near the planned industrial zone, was to follow a similar plan, with low-cost single-story houses.^{[93]: 65 }

For the city's new administrative buildings, Jansen chose to develop the Çukurbostan area, located in the old city center but with some vacant space available.^{[93]: 66 } In a departure from his typical policy of not modifying the old urban fabric, also proposed demolishing some existing buildings and altering the pre-existing street layout to accommodate this new construction.^{[93]: 66 }

The Aru-Söylemezoğlu plan (1955)

By the 1950s, Gaziantep's rapid growth was outpacing the Jansen plan's limits, resulting in the creation of unplanned settlements (such as Karşıyaka in the north and Düztepe in the south) and prompting the creation of a new city plan.^{[96]: 556 } This plan, drawn up by Kemal Ahmet Aru and Hamit Kemali Söylemezoğlu in 1955, continued the basic principles of the Jansen plan while adding some revisions.^{[96]: 556 } The city's shape remained compact and focused around a single center, which was now being extended towards the south and west.^{[96]: 556–7 }

The main goal of the Aru-Söylemezoğlu plan was to provide new housing to meet the needs of the growing urban population.^{[96]: 560 } There was also an effort to shift from agriculturally-oriented economy to industrial.^{[96]: 560 }

Among the important features introduced in the Aru-Söylemezoğlu plan were the railway station, now in its current location, and the addition of the new İpek Yolu highway as a northwards continuation of İstasyon Cd.^{[96]: 556 } The new planned upscale residential neighborhoods of Bahçelievler, Kavaklık, and Öğretmenevleri signalled a shift towards building new neighborhoods to the southwest.^{[96]: 556 } Ordu Cd, a westward extension of Atatürk Cd, was opened up, and the Kilis-Aleppo axis shifted to this route.^{[96]: 556–7 } In general, the Aru-Söylemezoğlu plan planned a grid plan for the city's streets.^{[94]: 10 }

The area north of Alleben Creek, which under the Jansen plan had been designated as recreational areas, were converted into residential development under Aru-Söylemezoğlu plan.^{[96]: 557 } Several small new industrial areas were also developed around Nizip Cd, Araban Yolu, and İpek Yolu.^{[96]: 556 }

The Can plan (1973)

In 1973, a competition was organized under the supervision of İller Bank to draft a third city zoning plan for Gaziantep; it was held simultaneously with ones in Konya and Kayseri.^{[96]: 557 } The Gaziantep contest was won by a team led by Zühtü Can and also including Yalçın Alaybeyoğlu, Abdullah Dellaloğlu, Müzeyyen Can, and Haluk Aral.^{[96]: 557 } The resulting Can plan consisted of several stages guiding the city's development until a target year of 1995, when they projected a population of 1 million for Gaziantep.^{[96]: 557 }

The Can plan focused on developing Gaziantep as an industrial center, with an increasing share of land dedicated to industrial use.^{[96]: 557 } These industrial areas were also increasingly set apart from residential areas.^{[96]: 561 } The Can plan envisioned a three-pole city with industrial areas at the west and east ends and new residential development in the south.^{[96]: 557 } Gaziantep's Organized Industrial Zone had been established in 1969 and was one of the first in Turkey.^{[96]: 558 } By 1978, manufacturing had reached 11.6% of Gaziantep's GDP,^{[96]: 561 } compared to about 17% for the country as a whole.^[97]

The 1970s were Gaziantep's highest period of immigration.^{[96]: 558 } New residential development during this period was clustered into two main areas.^{[96]: 558 } The first area was neighborhoods on the south and east sides of town like Karşıyaka, Düztepe, and Çıksorut, where many manufacturing jobs were available.^{[96]: 558 } The second consisted of areas on the north and west where relatively higher-income people who worked in the service sector lived.^{[96]: 558 } The patterns for urban development differed between these two areas.^{[96]: 558 } In the south and east, there was an irregular settlement pattern formed by purchasing land around factories.^{[96]: 558 } In the north and west, there was a regular grid of wide streets lined with houses and apartment complexes.^{[96]: 558 }

Beginning in the mid-1980s, the Can plan was undermined by illegal building and zoning amnesties, which disrupted the plan's form and caused the city to grow in unplanned ways.^{[96]: 558 } The municipal government tried to address the situation by performing piecemeal interventions to rehabilitate these areas, but ultimately the effect was that poorly integrated pockets of the city were formed.^{[96]: 558 }

The Aldan plan (1990)

The problem of illegal construction in the late 80s, combined with the introduction of the Metropolitan Municipality Law and changes to national zoning regulations such as Zoning Law 3194 (both giving cities increased authority in urban planning as opposed to the central government), necessitated an updated city plan.^{[96]: 558, 61 } This plan, the fourth one in Gaziantep's history, was drafted in 1990 by H. Oğuz Aldan.^{[96]: 558 } The Aldan plan had a target year of 2005, with a predicted population of about 1.8 million.^{[96]: 558 } It planned for the city to expand to 8010 ha, of which 26% would be residential, 22% would be industrial, and 17% would be open green spaces.^{[96]: 558 }

The Aldan plan followed a metropolitan, polycentric model, with new commercial zones mixed in with the residential areas to serve as secondary urban centers.^{[96]: 558 } The main directions for new development were toward the west and south.^{[96]: 558 } A new ring road on the east, south, and west helped boost growth in these directions.^{[96]: 558 } Some of the new secondary centers were built in the Karataş and Ä°brahimli areas.^{[96]: 559 } Another major addition was a new commercial area on the east side of the city called the Gaziantep Ticaret ve Endüstri Merkezi (Gaziantep Trade and Industry Center), or GATEM for short.^{[96]: 559 } Located on the Araban-Adıyaman highway, on the city's outskirts, the GATEM was to occupy 40 ha and also include an intercity bus terminal.^{[96]: 559 }

In the 21st century

Since the 2000s, a number of smaller-scale targeted projects have taken place, such as local rezoning of industrial areas in the Ünaldı neighborhood; reworking unplanned settlements that do not meet building standards; and various other development projects (for example in areas like Bağlarbaşı, Geneyik, Sarıgüllük, Halep Bulvarı, Kilis Yolu, and Orta Tepe).^{[96]: 559–60 }

Zoo

Gaziantep Zoo is one of the largest zoos in Turkey. Especially interesting are the bird pavilion and the aquarium. Gaziantep Zoo offers a large variety of animals, attractive picnic grounds, and a cafeteria. The facility is established on 1,000,000-square-metre (11,000,000 sq ft) field. There are 264 species and 6,814 animals.

• 
  Gaziantep Zoo White deer
• 
  Red-necked wallaby
• 
  Gaziantep Zoo Eagles