Kurdistan: Antep

                                                    Daphne (Harbiye)

•Place where Zeus caught Daphne and turned her into a laurel tree. Seleucus built a temple to Daphne here.

•To the Romans it was a place of resort for the rich and powerful of Antioch. Built beautiful villas with mosaics.

•Many waterfalls, water courses, tea gardens, restaurants, some right in the water

•Apollo fell in love with Daphne and tried to approach her, but she turned into an elegant tree.

                                                                  Kapisuyu

•A drive to Kapisuyu village you will see a fascinating scene from the Zeus temple. Excellent view from there of the harbor, sandy beach and fertile plain below.

                     Gaziantep

• old name is Antep

•Among the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world 

•6th largest city, in 1921 Antep was legally renamed Gaziantep, meaning Antep the veteran

•Antiochia ad Taurum during Hellenistic times

•Center of pistachio cultivation

•The fortress and citadel : restored by the Byzantines in 6th cent.

•Mosaics from Zeugma in the museum

•Many Hittite remains in the surroundings

•Remains of Greek Doliche, some km north of town

                                         Kahramanmaras

•old Maras (home of Maraslis, benefactor)

•Founded by Hittites 1000 BC

•Germanikeia during Roman and Byzantine empires

•Modern name from 1973 when the Assembly added Kahraman (= hero) in commemoration of the victory against the French Armenian Legion

•Site of the Alevi massacre (grey Wolves killed 700) in 1978 that led to a military coup in 1980

•Textile companies, both Turkish and USA and ice cream (dondurma) and salep ( aflour made from orchid tubers)

•Nestorius : 5th cent. religious leader was born here

                  Domuztepe

•Recent excavations with remains as far back as 6,200 BC

•Occupied during Hellenistic period and a significant settlement during the 1st cent. AD

•Evidence of a church, a small Christian cemetery

•Site is south of Maras

             Nizip

•Nisibis, near Zeugma, also near Rumkale (= roman castle)

•Some of the valuable mosaics are :

•Triton, Dionysos’ wedding, Poseidon, Perseus, Gypsy girl or Gaia, Dolphin and Eros, Physke, Achilleus, Aphrodite’s birth, the God of Euphrates, Europa, etc

•Rumkale : powerful fortress on the Euphrates

•Structure is Hellenistic in origin

•Today accessible by boat from Zeugma