AMonumentIndependent states
Göbekli Tepe
Stone circles raised about 11,600 years ago — among the oldest known monumental structures in the world. A UNESCO site since 2018.
Göbekli Tepe sits on a hilltop about 15 km north-east of Şanlıurfa. Here, in the 10th–9th millennia BC, before farming and pottery, hunter-gatherers raised huge stone structures.
T-shaped stone pillars up to 5 metres high stand at the centre of circular enclosures. They are carved with foxes, boars, snakes, cranes and other animals, and some with human arms.
Excavations began in 1995 under the German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt. The discovery showed that people built large sanctuaries before settling down. Göbekli Tepe was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2018, and Türkiye declared 2019 the Year of Göbeklitepe.
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Updated: October 2, 2026