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The Coffeehouse (K›r
Kahvesi)
K›r Kahvesi, also known as Kumandan
Kahvesi, was built in
1947. Later the place became the
symbol of the city. In this historical
place, one can enjoy the local
coffee culture and other local specialty
beverages.
The Tahmis Kahvesi
(Coffeehouse)
In the past, coffeehouses were being
used as educational facilities.
Because of that, they were called
such names like “mekteb-i irfan”
meaning school of wisdom, “Halk
kütüphanesi” meaning public library,
or “Halk Fakültesi” meaning
public university. The histori-
cal Tahmis Kahvesi has two stories
and about 140 years of history
behind its walls. It has seen many
cultural movements. For many years,
the second floor of the coffeehouse
was used by storytellers,
Turkish shadow theater artists,
musiki (traditional Turkish music)
singers. The coffeehouse is famous
with storytellers with their fascinating
stories, delight of long Ramadan
nights “Turkish Shadow
Theater”, conversations about literature
and poetry, water pipe
smokers, and checker players. The
coffeehouse has been being managed
by the same family for three
generations since 1903. Whoever
comes to Gaziantep should definitely
drink tea cooked on ember,
and famous Menengiç (terebinth)
Coffee. In this authentic place,
one feels like in a time capsule
going on a journey present to
past.
The Tutun (Tobacco) Khan
This han is documented as one of
the historical and cultural structures
of Gaziantep. It is located in
Bak›rc›lar Bazaar. In 2007, it
was restored by Regional
Manager of Foundations. It was
reformed to represent the Cultural
and Artistic life style of Gaziantep.
It is one of the exquisite samples
of han architecture. Inside the
walls, there is a courtyard with
15 rooms around it. The first
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thing you will see when you get
inside is the big Yörük tent. Three
of the rooms around the courtyard
were setup as Sark Odas› (the
eastern style) and being used by
the cafeteria. The other rooms
are being used as gift shops. Gift
shops only sell cultural local artifacts.
From the courtyard, there are
steps going down to the cave below.
The cave consists of five different
sections and each of these
sections is set up the eastern
style. Also there are two water
wells inside the cave which are
the fascinating samples of the
city’s old water (livas) system.
These water wells have gained an
authentic look with the light fixtures.
Tütün Khan can be considered as
a good shopping place for tourists
and an exquisite eating place to
taste Gaziantep Delicacy.
The Boutique Hotel
This traditional Gaziantep house
was restored by Metropolitan
Municipality. It is located right at
the bottom of the walls of
Gaziantep Fortress. You can see
the whole city from the terrace
floor while drinking your coffee.
It is also possible to try some of
the delicious meals of Gaziantep
Delicacy.
The Planetarium
The Planetarium can be explained
as a building designed to project
images of celestial bodies which
are projected onto a domed ceiling
before the viewers. It is a
very effective method to understand
and educate the public about
the world we live in and its position
in the universe. For the first time
in Turkey, Gaziantep Metropolitan
Municipality has designed
a planetarium which occupies
1.750 square meters of land. It
has a capacity of 80 viewers. You
could watch the celestial bodies of
the space, their movements, and
the laser shows. The planetarium
consists of a library, a science
park, a conference room, earthquake
and fire simulators, a cafeteria,
and a lounge.