Yesemek Open-Air Museum
Yesemek Açık Hava Müzesi
The site of a Hittite stone-carving workshop, where hundreds of unfinished sphinxes and reliefs lie scattered across the hillside.
Yesemek was one of the largest stone quarries and carving workshops in the ancient Near East. Hittite and Neo-Hittite craftsmen quarried and carved basalt here from roughly the 14th to 8th centuries BCE. More than 300 semi-finished pieces are scattered across the hillside, including lions, sphinxes, and mountain deities, showing the different stages of carving. Located in İslahiye district, it is about 1 to 1.5 hours from the city center. Public transport is limited, so self-driving or a private car is recommended. The site is open-air and exposed to the sun in summer.
Opening hours
About 08:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Gaziantep Zoo
- Bayazhan Gaziantep City Museum
- Kurtuluş Mosque
- Hasan Süzer Ethnography Museum
- Baklava Shops (Güllüoğlu & Koçak)
- Emine Göğüş Culinary Museum
- Gaziantep Castle & Panorama Museum
- Hamam Museum (Naib Hamamı)