Göbeklitepe – Şanlıurfa, Türkiye
Göbeklitepe is a pre-pottery Neolithic ritual center (c. 9600–8200 BC) on a limestone ridge near Şanlıurfa. Circular/oval enclosures feature T-shaped monolithic pillars up to 5.5 m tall, carved with reliefs of foxes, snakes, birds, boars, and abstract symbols. No domestic architecture accompanies the main enclosures, suggesting specialized gathering/feasting areas for mobile groups. Layers of backfill indicate deliberate burial after use.
Significance:
- Among the earliest known monumental ritual architectures; reshapes views of hunter-gatherer social complexity.
- Rich faunal remains, plaster floors, and carved stone vessels point to organized feasting and ritual practice.
- UNESCO World Heritage (2018) for its outstanding universal value to Neolithic studies.
Sources
- UNESCO – https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1572
- Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Göbekli_Tepe
- German Archaeological Institute (DAI) – Göbekli Tepe Project