Historical sites in southeast Turkey attract tourists

A quartet of sites in southeastern Turkey are drawing more and more attention from tourists with their countless millennia of rich history.

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The famed ancient site of Göbeklitepe in Şanlıurfa province is one the most popular destinations for both domestic and foreign tourists.

Göbeklitepe, known as the world's oldest temple, has been on UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List since 2011. It was discovered in 1963 when researchers from the universities of Istanbul and Chicago were working at the site.

It was also the most-visited site via Turkey's virtual museum program, with 1.6 million visits.

In work at the site since 1995, the German Archaeological Institute and Sanliurfa Museum have found T-shaped obelisks from the Neolithic era measuring three to six meters (10-20 feet) high and weighing 40-60 tons.

During the excavations, 12,000-year-old diverse artifacts such as human figurines measuring 65 centimeters (26 inches) were also discovered.

Expressing his satisfaction with rising interest in the region, Muslum Coban, head of a regional chamber of tourist guides, said that Turkey's southeast is the least risky region during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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"Many people who want to do a tour and travel are planning to come to the region," he added.

World Heritage site Mt. Nemrut

Located in Kahta in the Adıyaman province, Mt. Nemrut, towering 2,134-meters (7,001 feet) high, is a UNESCO World Heritage site with a rich history.

Also known as the Eighth Wonder of the World, it is famed for its summit, where several larger-than-life statues of Greek and Persian gods are erected around what is assumed to be a royal tomb from the first century BC.

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