SHOTLIST:

SANLIURFA, TÜRKİYE (DEC. 10, 2025) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL)

1. VISITORS AT GOBEKLITEPE EXCAVATION SITE (TWO SHOTS)

2. VARIOUS OF GOBEKLITEPE EXCAVATION SITE/ HISTORICAL STRUCTURES/ ARCHAEOLOGISTS WORKING

3. AYANLAR EXCAVATION SITE INFORMATION BOARDS (TWO SHOTS)

4. ACADEMICS POSING FOR PHOTO

5. VARIOUS OF ANCIENT ARTIFACTS BEING DISPLAYED

6. WIDE EXTERIOR SHOT OF GOBEKLITEPE EXCAVATION SITE SANLIURFA, TÜRKİYE - DEC. 10: Archaeologists continue working to uncover the mysteries of the Neolithic period at 12 excavation sites in Türkiye’s Sanliurfa.

One of the excavation sites is Gobeklitepe, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and known as the “zero point of history.”

Significant findings dating back about 12,000 years continue to be unearthed through the Tas Tepeler Project, which has been ongoing for five years in Sanliurfa and is one of the most comprehensive archaeological initiatives in the country’s history.

The project covers an area of roughly 100 square kilometers and includes the excavation sites of Gobeklitepe, Karahantepe, Cakmaktepe, Sayburc, Ayanlar, Sefertepe, Gurcutepe, Harbetsuvan, Yeni Mahalle, Kurt Tepesi, Mendik, and Yogunburc, where extensive archaeological work is underway.

A total of 219 academics — led by 36 professors from the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan — are working at the sites to shed light on human history, under the coordination of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

In addition to the rituals of Neolithic people, many aspects such as daily life, subsistence strategies, domestication processes, architectural development, and production technologies are being revealed in detail through the project.

With Gobeklitepe currently attracting nearly 1 million domestic and international visitors annually, this number is expected to increase significantly once the other 11 excavation sites also begin welcoming visitors.

Excavations at Gobeklitepe — often referred to as the “ground zero of history” — are conducted under the coordination of Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, as part of the ongoing Stone Hills Project, which continues to uncover new insights into the earliest traces of human civilization.

The 12,000-year-old remains of Gobeklitepe were first identified in 1963 by researchers from Istanbul and Chicago universities, and the site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2018.

Reporting by Rauf Maltas / Writing by Ayse Elif Erdis