5 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

One of the World’s Oldest Streets Unearthed at Canhasan 3 in Türkiye, Dating Back 9,750 Years

Nearly 10,000 years ago, long before the rise of cities, a community in central Anatolia was already experimenting with new ways of organizing its living space. Excavations at Canhasan 3 Höyük (Höyük: Mound) in Türkiye’s Karaman province revealed one of the earliest known streets of the Neolithic Age, dating back nearly 9,750 years—predating the world-renowned Çatalhöyük by about 750 years.

Archaeologists uncovered a carefully planned passage between houses, a rare feature that resembles one of the earliest examples of a street in human history. This finding challenges the long-standing image of Neolithic life as clusters of roof-accessed homes with little external organization, as famously seen at Çatalhöyük. Instead, Canhasan 3 reveals a community that deliberately left space between structures, hinting at early forms of social organization, shared access, and architectural planning nearly a millennium before Çatalhöyük’s peak.

A Rare Example of Early Urban Planning

The excavations, conducted under the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s “Heritage for the Future Project”, are led by Assoc. Prof. Adnan Baysal of Ankara University. His team uncovered a passageway separating two houses—suggesting a deliberate attempt at creating communal or functional space, something rarely seen in Neolithic Anatolia.

“This is a major surprise,” Baysal noted. “While Çatalhöyük had tightly clustered houses with roof access, Canhasan 3 shows us a different architectural vision. These gaps between homes may have functioned as passageways, protective corridors for livestock, or even as an early form of a street. Whatever the case, it is extremely rare to see such spatial organization in this period.”

The team also discovered hearths placed differently than those in Çatalhöyük, hinting at diverse cultural practices within Central Anatolia’s Neolithic communities.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



From Neolithic to Bronze Age: A Settlement That Endured

Canhasan is not a single mound but a complex of three mounds (Canhasan 1, 2, and 3), representing continuous human occupation from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic to the Bronze and Iron Ages. Over thousands of years, this small yet fertile region hosted communities that witnessed the birth of agriculture, animal domestication, and permanent architecture.

According to Baysal, the secret of Canhasan’s longevity lies in its abundant water sources and fertile lands. Animal bones found at the site include remains of aurochs (wild cattle), fish, and waterfowl—suggesting a wetland environment that provided rich food resources. Plant remains currently under analysis are expected to reveal more about early farming practices in the region.

At Canhasan 3 Mound in Karaman, archaeologists uncovered one of the earliest known streets of the Neolithic Age, dating back 750 years before the 9,000-year-old Çatalhöyük. Credit: DHA
At Canhasan 3 Mound in Karaman, archaeologists uncovered one of the earliest known streets of the Neolithic Age, dating back 750 years before the 9,000-year-old Çatalhöyük. Credit: DHA

Why the Discovery Matters

The discovery of a street-like space at Canhasan 3 challenges long-held assumptions about early Neolithic settlements. Streets are considered a marker of social complexity and planned urbanism. Finding such an element almost 10,000 years ago pushes back the timeline for these innovations.

Moreover, the contrast with Çatalhöyük—famous for its tightly packed houses without streets—demonstrates that Anatolian Neolithic societies were not uniform. Different communities experimented with different solutions to everyday needs such as movement, protection, and social interaction.

The Global Significance of Canhasan

Although Çatalhöyük has long overshadowed other sites in Central Anatolia, Canhasan 3 is now emerging as a key settlement for understanding the diverse trajectories of early human settlement. Archaeologists argue that Canhasan offers:

Evidence of early spatial planning (possible street formation)

Continuity of occupation over several millennia

Rich environmental data combining geology, botany, and zoology

A link between pre-pottery and pottery Neolithic traditions

This makes Canhasan 3 not only significant for Turkish archaeology but also for the broader study of human social evolution.

The team also discovered hearths placed differently than those in Çatalhöyük, hinting at diverse cultural practices within Central Anatolia’s Neolithic communities. Credit: DHA

A Legacy for the Future

Excavations continue with the hope of uncovering more details about the daily lives of Neolithic people in Canhasan. Researchers aim to understand whether these “streets” were purely functional or whether they carried symbolic or communal importance.

As Baysal explains: “By carefully studying the architecture, artifacts, and ecofacts, we can reconstruct how people lived, farmed, and interacted with their environment. Canhasan 3 allows us to see a unique version of Neolithic life—one that differs from Çatalhöyük yet is just as important for understanding humanity’s shared past.”

With its deep history and groundbreaking discoveries, Canhasan 3 is becoming recognized as a treasure of Anatolia—a place where the earliest experiments in community planning, agriculture, and settlement organization first took root nearly 10,000 years ago.

Cover Image Credit: DHA

Related Articles

Ark of the Covenant Discovery? Biblical Ruins Unearthed in Israel May Be Key to Ancient Mystery

6 August 2025

6 August 2025

Archaeologists at Tel Shiloh Claim Structure Matches Biblical Tabernacle Where the Ark of the Covenant Was Housed In a monumental...

Construction Workers Discovered Ancient Sarcophagus in Turkey

2 March 2021

2 March 2021

On Monday, reports said that during excavations in the Seyitgazi region of Eskisehir Province in northwestern Turkey, municipal staff unexpectedly...

New Study Exposes Origins of Welsh Dragons

7 June 2024

7 June 2024

In a new study conducted by a team from the University of Bristol and published in the Proceedings of the...

Unique Roman Aristocratic Tomb Discovered in Sillyon Ancient City

19 August 2025

19 August 2025

Archaeologists have uncovered a unique Roman-era tomb during ongoing excavations in Sillyon Ancient City, located in Türkiye’s Antalya’s Serik district....

The Ancestors of Today’s Barbie Dolls “Coptic dolls”

23 September 2023

23 September 2023

For as long as there has been civilization, children have played with dolls. Wooden dolls with bead hair have been...

Ancient Hebrew “Incantation Bowls” discovered in a home in Israel

8 March 2022

8 March 2022

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said Monday that 1,500-year-old magical “incantation bowls” and other rare and ornate bone and ivory...

Iraqis Disliked El Nouri Mosque’s Restoration Plan

18 April 2021

18 April 2021

UNESCO recently announced that the El Nouri mosque, which was bombed by ISIL(The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant),...

Volunteer archaeologists discovered a 1900-year-old silver military decoration in Vindolanda

17 June 2023

17 June 2023

Volunteer archaeologists have discovered a 1900-year-old military decoration (Phalera) that was awarded to distinguished soldiers and troops in the Roman...

200,000-year-old ‘mammoth graveyard’ found in the southwest UK

19 December 2021

19 December 2021

Researchers have unearthed a mammoth “graveyard” filled with the bony remains of five individuals, including an infant, two juveniles, and...

Archaeologists reveal largest paleolithic cave art site in Eastern Iberia

17 September 2023

17 September 2023

More than 100 ancient paintings and engravings thought to be at least 24,000 years old were found in the cave...

Severed right hands reveal Trophy-Taking practices in Ancient Egypt

2 April 2023

2 April 2023

Twelve severed hands were found in Egypt as part of a horrifying “trophy-taking” practice that was just made revealed by...

Dominican mission discovers 1,305-meter Greco-Roman ancient rock-cut tunnel in Alexandria

4 November 2022

4 November 2022

A Greco-Roman tunnel measuring 1,305 meters in length was discovered beneath Tapuziris Magna, an Ancient Egyptian city, by an Egyptian-Dominican...

Vampires Were Born Here: The Forgotten Serbian Village Behind the World’s Oldest Vampire Legend

18 July 2025

18 July 2025

Picture a quiet Balkan village at dusk: the sun dips behind dense forests, mist curls around forgotten gravestones, and the...

A fossilized Neanderthal skeleton unearthed in France may have belonged to a previously undescribed lineage that split from other Neanderthals

12 September 2024

12 September 2024

The fossilized Neanderthal skeleton, discovered in a cave system in the Rhône Valley of France, represents a previously unidentified lineage...

Stunning carved stone depicting a mystery naked horseman is discovered at the Roman fort of Vindolanda

30 June 2021

30 June 2021

Near Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, archaeologists discovered a carved sandstone slab portraying a naked horseman. During the annual excavations...