Gaziantep

Roman mosaics lifted from Zeugma before a Euphrates dam drowned it, laid out as floors and walls just as they were. The famous Gypsy Girl hangs alone in a dark room of her own. The halls are vast; set aside two hours.

A Roman city on Belkis hill near Nizip whose lower half went under the Birecik Dam reservoir in 2000. Villas above the waterline sit under roofs, so floor mosaics are seen in place. Driving takes roughly an hour from Gaziantep, and no bus goes there.

From workshops lining the lane the hammering of copper trays and pots never stops. Many shops will engrave a name or pattern on a plate to order. Some price by weight, so have it put on the scale and bargain from there.

A stone-vaulted market from the late 18th century that once traded meat and vegetables wholesale. Since its restoration it holds copperware, spice and dried fruit shops. It adjoins the coppersmiths' bazaar, so both fit one stroll.

Open since the 17th century and still looking it, with low stools between stone pillars. Locals order menengic here, a coffee brewed from terebinth berries. Afternoons, old men of the quarter lay out backgammon boards and keep the tables.

Old mansions of yellow limestone gather along narrow lanes. Many keep the Antep plan of rooms around a central courtyard and now work as cafes and small hotels. Even behind a shut gate, a cafe sign means you can step in and see the yard.

A small museum in an old stone house, given to the city's kitchen gear and how its food is made. Pistachio-cracking tools, copper pots and each season's preserves are split between the rooms. Half an hour sees it all, so it fits between market wanders.

An old market whose shops hang strings of dried aubergine and peppers from the ceiling. Pepper paste, isot chilli and dried herbs are weighed out loose. The hollowed dried aubergines are soaked and then stuffed for dolma.

An Ottoman caravanserai where merchants once unloaded, a two-storey arcade boxing in a stone courtyard. Tea tables now fill the yard and the rooms have become shops. A shaded spot for a glass of tea halfway round the bazaar.

From half-drowned Halfeti, boats run up the Euphrates gorge to Rumkale, a clifftop fortress. They pass the old village site where only a minaret pokes above the water. Halfeti is also known for a black rose said to bloom that dark only in this soil.

Housed in a stone mansion, it tells of the siege Antep endured against French forces from 1920 into the next year. That fight won it the title Gazi, now the front of its name. Each room plays the story through headphones.