The Gaziantep Director of Museum is responsible for the Archeological Museum, Etnographical Museum and the lslahiye Yesernek Open Air Museum. The Director of Museums is also responsible for 693 immovable (parmanent) culture location and 221 archeological site areas. In 1944 Sabahat Gogus gathered artifacts from here and there 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!! and after standig half-completed for a lono time. it was finished and increased the museum space greatly. The buiiding today has 5 exhibition halls that remain humble beside the exhibits presented from f all the afore mentioned sites. The Gaziantep Museum while trying to break I out of 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. Chonological Hall
In this hall, Anatolian and Gaziantep’s antique settlement locations and excavation centers are displayed on large panel maps for knowledge and there is also a chronology of Gaziantep’s district. The first is of the natural history, especially the Dilluk and Euphrates paleolittc stone tools, the techniques for their usage, didactic materials continue the display. Various CalcolMc 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 placed in the display. The next section displays the decorated cups and various oil lamps of the Byzanliunti 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 on-hand and especially the carved gravestones and reliefs along with mosaic panels. (The 4th century A.D. graverooms with corridors and terraces with statues reliefs of the deceased are a special feature of the Zeugma necropolis.) Also displayed here was iliegally removed from our country in the ‘1960’s by the United States of America. Recently arranged according to modem museum standards, one side displays artifacts from all ages of bronze, there are the superstitous smail statuettes of people and animals, cult artifacts, figures, stamps and cylindrical signets, decorated needles, bracelets and tork’s with fibula’s, ring stones and classic age hair signet presses with gold and silver ornamentattons.

The other side holds the coins according to their pressage (minting) and period with notes about each period and special coins on the panels. The displays on the side contain gold, silver, and bronze coins from Greek, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantium periods beside Ottoman ornaments for the visitor to admire. In the corridor joining this hall with the Beltas 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 originalli/ sponsored by the Cultural Ministry and sent for display in many foreign countries, we have on display 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, now a panels display documents and information on local treasures illegally taken out of the country and current

F. Museum Garden
In the front garden are funeral banguet 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 with men represented as eagles and women by wool basket motifs on the grave displayed in the garden. New large rock and stone artifacts and mosaic panels will be displayed in the new building upon completion due to lack of current space.