This Seljuk era citadel (built in the 12th and 13th centuries) occupies the site of an earlier Byzantine fortress built under the Emperor Justinian's command in the 6th century.
The citadel towers over the northern edge of Gaziantep's Old City, sitting atop the hill of Tell Halaf, which is known to have been settled as early as 3500 BC.
The small Gaziantep Defense and Heroism Panoramic Museum inside the citadel is dedicated to the locals who defended the city against the French in 1920.
