Göbekli Tepe

Göbekli Tepe is a prehistoric hilltop sanctuary in southeastern Anatolia notable for its large T-shaped limestone pillars and decorated stone enclosures. It dates to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic and is among the earliest known examples of monumental architecture.

The site features multiple circular and oval enclosures with centrally placed paired pillars, some decorated with animal reliefs; several pillars reach heights of around 5 metres. The scale and date of these structures have changed understanding of social complexity in the early Neolithic.

Excavations began in the 1990s under German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt and have revealed successive construction and infill phases, with evidence that the site was deliberately buried in the 9th millennium BCE. Artefacts and faunal remains indicate ritual and communal activities rather than a permanent urban settlement.

Göbekli Tepe sits on a limestone plateau approximately 15 kilometres northeast of the city of Şanlıurfa in southeastern Turkey, overlooking the Harran plain and surrounding agricultural landscapes.

• Age: Radiocarbon dates place primary construction phases between roughly 9600 and 8200 BCE, making it one of the oldest known monumental stone sites.
• Sculpture: Many carved pillars are anthropomorphic T-shaped stones with reliefs of animals such as boars, foxes and birds; the pillars are often arranged in circular enclosures.

What to See #

• Enclosures (Pillared Rings): Circular and oval stone enclosures containing T-shaped limestone pillars up to about 5.5 metres tall, often decorated with carved animal reliefs.
• Excavated terraces and deposits: Open areas and terraces showing successive building phases with midden deposits and postholes; the site preserves multiple occupation layers dating to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic.