Göbeklitepe Archaeological Site

Göbeklitepe is a prehistoric sanctuary on a hill overlooking the Harran plain, about 15 km from Şanlıurfa. It was not a settlement but a place of worship, and it entered the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2018 for its astonishing monumental architecture. At around 12,000 years old, it is often described as the oldest and largest known cult centre, and it changed how archaeologists think about the link between religious belief and the shift to settled life.

Only a small part of the site has been excavated, yet its finds have upended much of what was known about the Neolithic. Systematic excavation began in 1995 under the German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt, who continued the work until his death in 2014. The builders were hunter-gatherers, not farmers, which is what makes the place so surprising.

Visitors walk around the enclosures under a protective canopy and look at the great carved pillars from raised walkways.