SHOTLIST

SANLIURFA, TÜRKİYE (NOV. 27, 2025) (ANADOLU-ACCESS ALL)

1. VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS OF EXCAVATION SITE IN SEFERTEPE

2. VARIOUS OF HUMAN FACE RELIEF IN EXCAVATED ANCIENT SITE

3. CLOSE-UP OF HUMAN FACE RELIEF

4. HUMAN FACE RELIEF IN EXCAVATED ANCIENT SITE

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, ASSOC. PROF. EMRE GULDOGAN, SAYING:

“We encountered one of the significant findings discovered in Sefertepe in 2025. During the 2025 excavations, we encountered two human-faced rings that exhibit features somewhat different from the human types we have seen especially in Gobeklitepe, Karahantepe, and Sayburc.”

6. WHITE FLASH

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, ASSOC. PROF. EMRE GULDOGAN, SAYING:

“One of them was made using low-relief and the other using high-relief technique. The human faces also show differences in terms of headgear. In particular, on the high-relief example, the pupils, the area around the eyes, the brow ridge, the nose, and the mouth are clearly rendered. In the low-relief example, which is located slightly farther west, the eyes appear almost closed, as does the mouth. It differs from what we know from Karahantepe, especially with its full lips, nose, and other features. On one of the examples, the ears appear very clearly. It depicts a head quite completely.”

8. CLOSE-UP OF HUMAN FACE RELIEF



9. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, ASSOC. PROF. EMRE GULDOGAN, SAYING:

“This platform is thought to be an area specially constructed for this place, because it was created by bringing together three very well and carefully crafted limestone blocks. In other parts of this area, in the sections that have been excavated, we also noticed pits carved into the bedrock.”

10. WHITE FLASH

11. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, ASSOC. PROF. EMRE GULDOGAN, SAYING:

“In particular, the fact that the eyes were carved very clearly and that the pupils were shown, and in one example—the high-relief one—the ears were rendered in a well-crafted manner, as well as the workmanship on the top of the head, where we can even see a trace that looks like a kind of headdress. In the low-relief example on the stone set into the platform, the relief is somewhat shallower. Yet the eyes are still distinct, and the nose and mouth are carved quite clearly.”

12. CLOSE-UP OF HUMAN FACE RELIEF
SANLIURFA, TÜRKİYE - NOV. 27: Recent archaeological excavations in the ancient settlement of Sefertepe in southeastern Türkiye have uncovered two striking human-face reliefs, dating back approximately 10,500 years, that are shedding new light on the artistic diversity and regional styles of the Neolithic period.

The discoveries were made as part of the "Tas Tepeler Project" (Stone Hills Project), a comprehensive research initiative in Sanliurfa province led by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Assoc. Prof. Emre Guldogan, the head of the excavation from Istanbul University's Department of Archaeology, told Anadolu that the 2025 excavations revealed the two distinct reliefs, carved onto a limestone block composed of four pieces.

"We encountered two human-faced reliefs that exhibit features somewhat different from the human types we have seen especially in Gobeklitepe, Karahantepe, and Sayburc," Guldogan stated.

One of the figures was crafted using the high-relief technique, where the forms project prominently from the background, while the other was made with a shallower low-relief technique. The artifacts also show notable differences in their depiction, particularly in their headgear and facial features.

Guldogan elaborated that on the high-relief example, "the pupils, the area around the eyes, the brow ridge, the nose, and the mouth are clearly rendered." He also highlighted the clear depiction of the ears and a trace on the top of the head that suggests a kind of headdress.
In contrast, the low-relief figure presents a different artistic approach. "The eyes appear almost closed, as does the mouth. It differs from what we know from Karahantepe, especially with its full lips, nose, and other features," Guldogan explained.

The archaeologist emphasized that the most significant distinction of the Sefertepe figures lies in the detailed emphasis on the eyes, ears, and nose, setting them apart from the well-known iconography of Gobeklitepe and Karahantepe.

The reliefs were found on a specially constructed platform, created by bringing together three carefully crafted limestone blocks. The area around the platform also revealed pits carved into the bedrock and traces of a defined structure, suggesting a special purpose for the site.

Guldogan stressed that these figures are of great importance as they "reveal artistic diversity and regional stylistic differences in the Neolithic period," offering new clues about the artistic understanding and cultural variations of the era.

The Tas Tepeler Project is a massive undertaking, involving 36 international academic institutions and a team of 220 experts and students conducting simultaneous archaeological excavations at 10 different sites in the region.

This find follows another significant discovery announced in September 2024 from the same area, where a human skull found in a wall cavity provided vital new information about Neolithic burial traditions in Upper Mesopotamia.

Reporting by Esber Ayaaydin

Writing by Sibel Uygun