The sculpture from Göbekli Tepe that was taken by a local farmer to the Şanlıurfa Museum

Following the first discovery of Göbekli Tepe by archaeologists in the early 1960s, artefacts continued to be revealed in the course of agricultural activities. One such find, an ithyphallic stone figure, was taken to Şanlıurfa Museum by Şafak Yıldız, a local farmer. However, archaeological excavations did not commence until 1995. This initial fieldwork led to the discovery of the first monumental prehistoric building at Göbekli Tepe. Notably, even at this time, Göbekli Tepe was still a ‘pristine’ site; although it had been used agriculturally for centuries, no deep ploughing had ever taken place, primarily due to the relative inaccessibility of the area for heavy machinery.