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Gaziantep[gA´´zEAn´tep] Pronunciation Key, formerly Aintab[IntAb´] Pronunciation Key, city (1990 pop. 627,584), capital of Gaziantep prov., S Turkey. Gazientep is an important trading and manufacturing center known for its textiles and pistachio nuts. An ancient Hittite city, it was occupied (8th cent. B.C.) by Sargon of Assyria. It occupied a strategic position in the Crusades and was taken by Saladin in 1183. It was the center of Turkish resistance (1920–21) to the French occupation of the region. After a long siege it was captured by the French, but was returned to Turkey in 1921. For its heroic resistance the city was awarded the title of Gazi, or "Warrior for the Faith," and from that time has been known as Gaziantep.
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