Where is Gobekli Tepe

Gobekli Tepe

Gobekli Tepe is a world-famous Neolithic site located in Sanlıurfa City, southeastern Turkey. It is surely the most important historical discovery of the 21st century! Gobeklitepe was discovered by German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt in 1994. Then, excavations that started under the direction of Klaus Schmidt and the German Archaeology Institute in 1995 have been revealing the mystery of the site day by day.

Where is Gobeklitepe? Gobeklitepe is 15 km northeast of Sanliurfa province, in Turkish Mesopotamia. Today, travelers of all nationalities flock to Sanliurfa city not only for an exotic cultural experience but also for visiting the important historical sights among which is Gobekli Tepe.

What is Gobekli Tepe? After years of excavations –still going on-, archaeologists revealed hundreds of T-shaped pillars that were made out of limestone. Huge pillars are interconnected by walls and stone benches and they were adorned with various wild animal figures. What interesting about this site is that there are not any Neolithic settlements near Gobeklitepe. Remarkably, no residential buildings have been discovered. Moreover, historical settlements are generally found near water sources and plain lands that are suitable for farming but Gobeklitepe is situated at the highest point of an extended mountain range. Gobeklitepe is a quite difficult site to reach even today. When you finally make it to the magical site, you are rewarded with a beautiful view of Mesopotamian plains stretching to the south. There is no evidence of animal husbandry practicing and farming. It is obvious that Gobeklitepe had the role of a mere sanctuary.

International travelers generally come from Istanbul to Gobeklitepe but it is also possible to organize tours from Kusadasi to Gobeklitepe. If you are wondering why did they build these huge temple complexes, what were the rituals like, and then why did they bury them, this can be one of the places you have to see in your lifetime.

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