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| Gaziantep Archeology Museum |
 The Gaziantep region from an historical geographic point of view has a North Syria-Anatolian (Asia Minor) culture somewhere between East-West. It is situated on military and trade routes as well as being a crossroads. In today's Turkish geopolitical make-up, these are still important factors. For this reason, almost all cultures from the historic ages have influenced the Gaziantep district which has more than 250 mounds. These were first formed in the neolitic age by the collective gathering of items from settlement reflecting culture and architectural advancement levels with each level belonging to a town, village or settiement. The oldest Anatolian findings attributed to man were some stone tools found in the Duluk Paleolithic cave, dating from 600 thousand years ago. In the mid-paleolithic age cultural life, especially from the Bronze age, Gaziantep and its environs shows signs of being a bustling settlement. This region was active in the Hum, Hittite Empire, Late Hittites, Assyrian, Persian, Hellenistic and Roman periods. Along with the Byzantian and Islamic periods, the Crusades of the Middle Ages brought new geopolitical forces and made Gaziantep the scene for many historic events. The Gaziantep Museum has had more than 35 working sites for joint efforts and rescue digs, as well as scientific digs with all artifacts now located in the museum. In 1998 the Director of Museums sponsored 11 archeological digs usually with the assistance of the Gaziantep Museum and a total of 64 thousand artifacts were discovered.
 The Gaziantep Director of Museum is responsible for the Archeological Museum, Etnographical Museum and the lslahiye Yesemek Open Air Museum. The Director of Museums is also responsible for 693 parmanent cultural locations and 221 archeological site areas. In 1944 Sabahat Göğuş gathered artifacts from the surrounding areas to establish the Gaziantep Museum. First housed in the Nuri Mehmet Pasha Mosque, they were brought to this building in 1969. In a short time the museum needed to be enlarged due to the richness of the archeological potential of this location. 1976 saw the start of an additional hall and after standing half-completed for a long time. It was finished and increased the museum space greatly. The building today has 5 exhibition halls that remain humble beside the exhibits presented from from all the afore-mentioned sites.
The Gaziantep Museum while trying to break out of its image as an historical depot and awake visitor sympathy, tried to target new exhibitions.
MUSEUM HALLS
A. Temporary Exhibits and Nostalgic Displays
The long narrow hall at the entrance is usually used for temporary or periodic exhibits that change regularly. To attract those individuals who like pictures and chacterizations, a characterization exhibit, entitled
'Archeology' was held.
B. Chronological Hall
 In this hall, Anatolian and Gaziantep's antique settlement locations and excavation centers are displayed on large panel maps.There is also a chronology of Gaziantep region. The first is of the natural history. The Duluk and Euphrates paleolithic stone tools, the techniques for their usage, and didactic materials. Various Chalcolithic and Bronze Age stages are displayed. The Iron Age and its shining example of civilizalion, the Urarians, are the last display. The second section contains Acamedian-Persian, Hellenistic and Koffimagene with special Roman age artifacts. The next section displaying the decorated cups and various oil lamps of the Byzantium and Islamic periods bring this exhibit to a close. Also located in this hall is the Belkis-Zeugma Excavation 'Findings and Childhoods Toys of the Ages' display. There are also the bones of a mammoth and a stuffed crocodile on display.
C. Bellas-Zeugma Hall
Another long narrow hall displays the findings of the Belkis excavations , especially the carved gravestones and reliefs along with mosaic panels. (The 4th century A.D. grave rooms with corridors and terraces with statues reliefs of the deceased are a special feature of the Zeugma necropolis.) Also displayed here is the frame of a mosaic panel, illegally removed from our country in the 1960's by the United States of America. Pictures of the missing pieces, now in Houston, can also be seen.
Recently arranged according to modem museum standards, one side displays artifacts from all ages whicj can be viewed; Superstitous small statuettes of people and animals, cult artifacts, figures, stamps and cylindrical signets, decorated needles, bracelets and torks with fibulas, ring stones and classic-age hair signet presses with gold and silver ornamentations. The other side holds the coins according to their minting and period with notes about each period. The displays on the side contain gold, silver, and bronze coins from Greek, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantium periods beside Ottoman ornaments for the visitors to admire.
In the corridor joining this hall with the Belkıs-Zeugma Hall, on two antique wooden buffets is a collection of "Old Gaziantep Children's Toys" restored and donated to our museum by Mrs. Akten Koyluoglu.
E. Exhibition Hall
 This hall, again a first for our country's museums, displays a 60 panel panorama of "The founding of a Roman Period City' with a drawing exhibition area. 'Turkish Architectural Works' and 'Archeologic Cultural Wealth' with 'Plundered Anatolia' were large photographic panels originally sponsored by the Ministry of culture and sent for display in many countries around the world.On display are their reduced size copies. The Museum Director's 1997-98 excavations in the dam area of an Old Bronze Age Necropolis uncovered 312 gravesites and many remains and artifacts were taken. More than 34 thousand signet presses which were uncovered at the Belkis-Zeugma excavations are now displayed. On 3 large panels, information and documents are displayed related to local treasures removed from Turkey, and related to those retreived.
F. Museum Garden
In the front garden are funeral banquet reliefs and markers of the Hitite and Late Hitite periods. The side garden is mostly occupied by finds from the Roman period at Belkis-Zeugma. New large rock and stone artifacts and mosaic panels will be displayed in the new building upon completion . |
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