Known as "Markasi" or "Maraj" in earliest ages, this city, 78 km north of Gaziantep, stands as a site of history, having a long past filled with numerous invasions, was once the capital of Gurgum, a Hittite State in the 12th century BC. Romans called the city as Germanicia during the 1st century AD, and Ottomans renamed it as "Mer’as" later on. There is an archaeological museum inside the citadel, where Hittite sculptures are on display. Other important remains in the area are the Ulu (Grand) Mosque and the Tas (Stone) Madrasah , both dating back to the 15th century, together with the Hatuniye and Haznedarli Mosque of the Ottoman period.
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