Prehistoric Anatolia

Excavations in Göbeklitepe may continue for decades: Expert

The excavation works in Göbeklitepe, a 12-000-year-old Neolithic archaeological site in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa, may continue for decades, an expert has said.

"The site unearthed until today is not even 10 percent of all the complex that is still underground," Necmi Karul, a member of the Göbeklitepe Science Board, told Demirören News Agency.

Göbeklitepe may be made by aliens, says mayor

Göbeklitepe, a 12,000-year-old Neolithic archaeological site in southeastern province of Şanlıurfa, may have been made by aliens, the city's mayor says.

"The statues in Göbeklitepe depict something other than humans. They seem to be coming from somewhere else. They remind me of aliens," Zeynel Abidin Beyazgül told daily Milliyet on April 25.

Human traces dating back 14,000 years found in İzmir

Archaeological excavations carried out in a cave in the Dikili district of İzmir have unearthed 14,000-year-old stone tools and bones from the Late Paleolithic (Epipalaeolithic) period.

Turkish and German scientists, who carried out the works in the area, revealed that the cave was also used as a cult center dedicated to the mother goddess Kybele.

Magical hot air balloons await guests in world’s oldest temple

Colorful hot air balloons took off at the famous ancient site of Göbeklitepe in southeastern Turkey's Şanlıurfa province, kicking off the new season.

The tours organized with hot air balloons take off at sunrise three days a week near the world's oldest temple which 200,000 tourists visited last year only.

Stone Hills introduced in Şanlıurfa

The Culture and Tourism Ministry and the Turkish Tourism Development and Promotion Agency (TGA) have introduced the Stone Hills, which host the first examples of settled life and social communities in the world, at an event held at the Şanlıurfa Museum.

The opening ceremony of the "Karahantepe and Neolithic Man" exhibition was also held during the event.

Excavations in Çayönü Mound to shed light on Neolithic era

Archaeological teams in Turkey continue excavations in the Çayönü mound, a Neolithic settlement where traces of settled life and production are observed.

The excavations in Çayönü, in the southeastern Diyarbakır province, began in 1964, but they were halted in 1991 due to security reasons. The work has resumed in 2017 with a team led by Aslı Erim Özdoğan.

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