Gobekli Tepe

Göbekli Tepe dates to approximately 9600 BCE, making it roughly 11,600 years old and predating both Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids by thousands of years. It was constructed during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period, well before the advent of agriculture.

The site was initially surveyed in the 1960s, but its monumental significance was not recognized until German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt began systematic excavations there in 1995. Schmidt, who previously worked at Nevalı Çori, devoted the rest of his career to Göbekli Tepe until his death in 2014.

Göbekli Tepe was built by hunter-gatherers before the advent of agriculture, which contradicts the long-held assumption that farming and permanent settlements had to exist before monumental construction could occur. This has led scholars to propose that religious and communal ritual may have driven the development of agriculture and settled life, reversing the traditional causal sequence.

Yes, Göbekli Tepe is open to visitors and is located about 15 kilometers northeast of the city of Şanlıurfa in southeastern Turkey. A protective roof structure covers the main excavation area, and a visitor center provides context about ongoing archaeological research at the site.