Personally I found Antep a much more interesting and fun city to visit than neighbouring Urfa. The people of Antep are genuinely friendly, helpful, and are far less pushy or patronising than those I had encountered in Urfa. In the past, most foreign visitors to Southeast Anatolia often give Antep a pass, as this busy commercial city within an hour's drive to the Syrian border was considered by most guidebooks as having relatively little to offer in terms of tourist attractions or ancient monuments. But this could not have been further from the truth.
Modern Antep is a lively, vibrant city with quite a lot to offer to visitors. The most famous and top of the range tourist attraction is the newly completed Zeugma Museum, which housed the priceless Roman mosaics rescued from the site of Zeugma and is undoubtedly the No.1 attraction of the city. For those who enjoy trying out real Turkish coffee, the old town of Antep has a variety of beautiful coffee houses located in grand traditional stone mansions with covered courtyards and gardens. Other interesting sights include the colourful bazaars of Antep, the Castle, the traditional architectures, the medieval inns, and the nice parks that are found all over the city centre.
The quality I like most about Antep is its lack of pretension. The city is very down-to-earth and is proud of its unique heritage. Being a centre of manufacturing in Southeastern Anatolia, Antep has a relatively prosperous standards of living which, in my humble opinion, are even better than other regional cities such as Konya, Kayseri, Samsun or Bursa.
While Istanbul has its world-famous Misir Carsi a.k.a. Spice Bazaar, in Antep they have the historical Zincirli Bedesten (Chain Bazaar). Built in the 18th century, this beautiful complex made of stone used to have five entrance, and a total of some 80 shops. Unfortunately parts of the original 18th century building were destroyed in a fire in 1957, hence what the visitors see today are mostly reconstructed sections.
Nowadays this building is home to many jewellery shops and souvenir stores selling decorative items inlaid with mother-of-pearl, an art form which is also an Antep speciality. Only the front section of this historical bazaar is dedicated to the sale of spice and food ingredients. Located right next to the Coppersmiths' Bazaar, the Zincirli Bedesten is also an interesting place to visit if you are looking for some souvenirs to take home with.
Although the merchants in Zincirli Bedesten do not inflate prices as much as those plying their trade in the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, it is always advisable to enquire first about the price before making any purchase. Shop around before making any purchase, as prices vary from shop to shop even within the Zincirli Bedesten itself, while many stores in the old town of Antep, as well as in the Coppersmiths' Bazaar right next door, also have similar items on stock.
Copyrights@2012. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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