The Pearl, Treasure, and Citadel of Gaziantep

The Pearl, Treasure, and Citadel of Gaziantep

Six thousand years of history… A masterpiece standing 25 metres high on the south bank of the Alleben Stream. A monument that found its place in Evliya Çelebi's travelogue, once crowned with 36 towers but reaching us today with only 12. There is also a tower known as the resting place of Imam al-Ghazali.

What It Means to Me

Let me tell you what it means in my eyes. We are a seven-generation Gaziantep family; we know no other home. My grandmother had a house directly across from the citadel, on the bank of the Alleben Stream — right beside the historic Ali Nacar Mosque and the martyrs' cemetery there.

I must confess, I was afraid until I stepped from the street into that house. You know what a child's imagination can whisper. On weekends my father would take us there and we would eat together as a family. In summer we sometimes stayed with my grandmother for the weekend. At five or six, the only thing I remember is watching the citadel from the window and asking her to tell me its story.

She would recount the defence of Antep, speak of wartime, and speak with pride of that martyrs' cemetery I used to pass in fear. She would begin with Şehitkamil, continue with Şahinbey, and finish with Atatürk's words after the war: *"How could I not kiss the eyes of the people of Antep — just as they saved Antep, they saved Turkey."* She would tell us how Atatürk gave us the title of Gazi and registered us as Gaziantep. What a proud history.

Of course I was never satisfied with these stories alone — I wanted her to take me inside. But she would say it had not yet been restored and we could not enter. This was around 1992. For years the only question in my mind was: what is inside? Did a princess live there long ago? When you are a little girl, such thoughts come naturally.

When I heard the citadel had opened to visitors, I was probably among the first to go. Years later, as I grew up and began buying and restoring these historic buildings, I understood: it was a curiosity that had lived in me since childhood.

Keeping Our History Alive

Our Turkey is precious, our history is precious — and it is equally precious when a person dedicates themselves to their homeland. As a family, we honour every stone; first we tell our own children, then the guests who come to our hotel, the story of our past.

If your path brings you to Gaziantep, do not leave without seeing our citadel. We would be delighted to welcome you at our mansion as well.