Göbeklitepe at NightThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Göbeklitepe, a Neolithic site in Turkey, was first discovered in 1963 during a surface survey by Istanbul and Chicago Universities. However, its true significance was not revealed until excavations began in 1994.
Archaeological excavations at Göbeklitepe have revealed many monumental buildings, including cult structures, dating back 12,000 years.
General View of Göbeklitepe Excavation Site (Temples)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Scientific data from Göbeklitepe has led to a re-evaluation of the theoretical framework and dating of the Neolithic Age.
General View of Göbeklitepe Excavation Site from the NorthThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Located 15 km northeast of Şanlıurfa city center, Göbeklitepe has an impressive view of the Harran Plain in the south, the East Taurus Mountains in the north and the Karacadağ volcanic massif in the east.
Temple C, GöbeklitepeThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Göbeklitepe is an important settlement in Upper Mesopotamia (9,600 BC) where the transition of hunter-gatherers to settled agricultural communities took place.
Monumental structures with T-shaped stone pillars as high as 18 feet (5.5 meters) are evidence of the skills and mastery of the prehistoric people who built them.
T-SHAPED STANDING STONE NUMBER P12 (TEMPLE C)The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Various representations of wild animals that adorn some of the pillars, as well as other works of art, show us that this prehistoric community may have had animistic beliefs.
Göbeklitepe is recognized as one of the places that best reflects prehistoric symbolism. The site's elaborate carvings and reliefs depict a variety of animals, human figures, and abstract symbols, all of which may have had significant religious or cultural meaning to the people who created them.
Lion Relief of Göbeklitepe Lion StructureThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
For a long time it was believed that Göbeklitepe was only a ritual site, but today it is known that there was a growing settlement in the area with a population that consistently increased for about 1,500 years (from 9,600 to 8,000 BC).
Göbeklitepe Temple A - T-Shaped Standıng Stone Numbered P2The Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
This structure, which is located in the main excavation area and dated to the late stage of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) period and its base is covered with terrazzo.
In this structure, there is a T-shaped pillar, where there are depictions of a wild cattle head (Bucranium), bulls, foxes, and cranes.
T-Shaped Standıng Stone Numbered P27, Göbeklitepe Temple CThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Depictions of a leopard on a T-shaped pillar placed on the building’s wall are among the best indicators of the sense of art humans had 12,000 years ago.
The leopard is depicted in motion. Its teeth can be seen and it is ready to attack.
T-Shaped Standıng Stone Numbered P10, GöbeklitepeThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
Read more about Anatolian civilizations and their artifacts through this link.
