Antep not only has a wealth of old monuments, castle and traditional bazaars to count among its numerous attractions; the city, being home to one of the largest universities in southeastern Anatolia, also has a large student population which gives this city a very youthful outlook.
The best way to witness this surge of romantic youthful spirit in Antep is to take a look at one of the many cafes located inside the narrow streets of Antep's Old Quarters, frequently patronised by young people and students of the city. Most of these cafes are housed in grand traditional mansions with an enclosed courtyard behind high walls, which shelters the interior of the garden from public gaze. On a sunny afternoon or in the evenings, the courtyards and the gardens of these cafes are filled with young people, couples and students. While Vienna has its cafes and German university towns have their beerhalls, Antep has its traditional courtyard cafes and it serves to enhance the city's growing reputation as the cultural hub of southeastern Anatolia.
It is indeed a very relaxing experience to sit down at one of these beautiful places under the grapevines, order a tea or a pistachio cafe - a local Antep speciality given the region is famous for some of the best-quality pistachio nuts produced in the world - and either immerse yourself in your favourite book, engage in lively conversations with your friends, or just look around and enjoy your time in this historical city. Instead of the usual stereotype of southeast Anatolian cities being conservative outposts and cultural backwaters, Antep is proving critics wrong and is fast evolving into one of the leading cities of culture, not just in southeast Anatolia, but in the whole of Turkey as well.
The beautiful antique mansions of Antep's Old Quarters, with their colourful ceilings, delicate hand-painted wooden wall panels, and elegant beige-coloured stone facades, are themselves a highly prized tourist attraction in their own rights, and a visit to some of these houses is a highlight and a must for any serious visitors to Antep. Just like any visit to Vienna is incomplete without spending one whole afternoon at one of the great literary cafes, it is difficult to understand the cultural rhythm behind this city without some authentic Turkish tea at any of these traditional Mesopotamian-style courtyard coffee houses.
Copyrights@2012. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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