5 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Turkey’s Taş Tepeler marks the beginning of civilization

There is still plenty to learn about the Neolithic Age!  The vast land of Taş Tepeler, which houses other sites similar and contemporary to Göbeklitepe, can reveal the mysteries of the period.

After Göbeklitepe showed a striking example of the first Neolithic settlements, the archaeology world understood that the lands of Şanlıurfa are vast and hold many mysteries yet to be revealed.

Studies carried out in Şanlıurfa province in Turkey in recent years have enabled the determination of settlements indicating the existence of a different phase within the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period.

The region of these settlements is named “Taş Tepeler,” literally meaning Stone Hills. Taş Tepeler is an Anatolian and Upper Mesopotamian region that held the oldest established settlements, spanning 200 kilometers from one end to the other.

As a result of the studies carried out in the province of Şanlıurfa in recent years, the number of settlements with “T” shaped obelisks has increased to 12. These; Nevali Çori, Göbeklitepe, Şanlıurfa – Yeni Mahalle, Karahan Tepe, Hamzan Tepe, Sefer Tepe, Taşlı Tepe, Kurt Tepe, Harbetsuvan Tepe, Sayburç and Ayanlar Höyük.

Göbeklitepe
Göbeklitepe

Among these settlements, Ayanlar Höyük and Karahan Tepe are large settlements in the scale of Göbeklitepe, as they have an area of approximately 100 acres.

Yenimahalle (Balıklıgöl Höyük)

The mound is located in the Yenimahalle district, which is located in the Balıklıgöl sanctuary in the old city center of Şanlıurfa.

With the coal samples obtained from the studies in Yenimahalle, as a result of radiocarbon analysis, it was understood that the settlement was contemporary with other Neolithic centers in the region.

It is now certain that the Urfa statue, which was found by chance near this settlement in 1993, belongs to the settlement here. The posture and style of the statue show that it is a successor of the “T” shaped stelae recovered from Göbekli Tepe and Nevali Çori.

It is now certain that the Urfa statue, which was found by chance in 1993, belongs to the Yenimahalle.
It is now certain that the Urfa statue, which was found by chance in 1993, belongs to the Yenimahalle.

Hamzan Tepe

It is a small mound that is contemporary with other settlements, located 10 km south of Şanlıurfa.

In Hamzan Tepe settlement, both civil and cult areas coexist, as in Nevali Çori and Çayönü. Finds from the Lower Paleolithic period and Byblos and Nemrik type tips specific to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period were found at the settlement.

Karahan Tepe

Karahan Tepe is 63 km southeast of Şanlıurfa. The scale of the settlement is as big as Göbeklitepe and 266 “T” shaped obelisks were found in situ.

Some of the “T”-shaped stelae have round-headed snake reliefs, while others have triangular-headed snake reliefs. Animal figures made with scraping technique were also found in some stelae.

The most important feature that distinguishes Karahan Tepe from Göbeklitepe is its human depictions and three-dimensional human sculptures.
The most important feature that distinguishes Karahan Tepe from Göbeklitepe is its human depictions and three-dimensional human sculptures.

Sefer Tepe

Sefer Tepe settlement is located within the borders of the Viranşehir district, approximately 70 km east of Şanlıurfa.

On the surface of the settlement, 16 “T” shaped stelae were found in situ. With these locations, Göbekli Tepe II. The obelisks in the strata architecture show great similarities with the Nevali Çori obelisks and the in situ stelae on the surface of Karahan Tepe.

A stele found in Sefer Tepe.
A stele found in Sefer Tepe.

Kurt Tepe

The newly discovered Kurt Tepesi settlement is located 45 km east of Şanlıurfa, 3 km south of Sumaklı village.

Small groups of cavities and a pool carved into the bedrock were found on the limestone rocks around the mound. The quarries, which are thought to have excavated the stelae found in the mound, are also located northeast of the hill.

Harbetsuvan Tepe

One of the newly discovered settlements is Harbetsuvan Hill. It is located 45 km east of Şanlıurfa.

There are tie and finger reliefs on the “T” shaped stela unearthed in the settlement. Harbetsuvan settlement is located approximately 7 km southwest of Karahan Tepe settlement.

Harbetsuvan Hill, with an area of 5 decares, Sefer Tepe, Hamzan the hill is similar in size to the Kurt Tepesi and Taşlı Tepe settlements.

Harbetsuvan Tepe
Harbetsuvan Tepe

Ayanlar Höyük

Ayanlar Höyük was discovered in 2013. It is located near the village of Ayanlar, about 30 km west of Şanlıurfa.

Although no “T” shaped stelae could be found in Ayanlar Höyük, this find gives important clues that it could be a cult center like Göbekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe.

The obelisk tradition, seen from the end of Phase A to the middle of Phase B of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period, seems to have disappeared at the end of Phase B of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period. Archaeologists anticipate that, thanks to future research, there is also the stelae tradition related to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period in Gaziantep, Mardin, and Adıyaman provinces and that many settlements will be revealed.

Researchers think that since the end of the 9th millennium BC, such settlements were abandoned by covering them with soil, and the first agricultural communities began to be established on the plains and near the waters.

The recent finds from the Karahantepe excavations are exhibited at the Şanlıurfa Archaeological Museum in the “Karahantepe and Neolithic Human Exhibition”, which opened on September 23, 2021.

In this article, excerpts are made from the article titled “The Neolithic Period in and around Urfa in the Light of New
Findings
” by Bahattin Çelik and Kaya Tolon.

Cover Photo: Karahan Tepe

Related Articles

Who Are The Sea Peoples?

13 February 2021

13 February 2021

Who are the Sea Peoples, which are seen as the beginning of the dark age, and where did they come...

Drought accelerated Hittite Empire’s collapse

9 February 2023

9 February 2023

Researchers have offered new insight into the abrupt collapse of the  Hittite Empire in the Late Bronze Age, with an...

Salvage Excavations Started in Giresun Island on Turkey’s Black Sea Coast

18 May 2021

18 May 2021

Rescue excavations are starting again on Giresun Island, where the first examples of human settlement in the Black Sea Region...

Fossils of sea creatures 35 million years old discovered in eastern Turkey

17 August 2021

17 August 2021

In Turkey’s eastern province of Mus, a team of researchers discovered fossils of sea creatures estimated to be 35 million...

Archaeologists Uncover 4,800-Year-Old Bronze Age Tombs in Başur Höyük, Türkiye, Where Teenage Girls Were Ritually Sacrificed

30 March 2025

30 March 2025

As the first civilizations began to emerge in Mesopotamia and Anatolia, significant transformations in social structure, economy, and culture took...

Göbeklitepe Monolith will be Exhibited in the United Nations

15 May 2021

15 May 2021

A copy of one of the famous ruins of Göbeklitepe, known as the oldest temple in the world, will be...

Zeus Temple’s entrance was found in western Turkey’s Aizanoi Ancient City

31 July 2021

31 July 2021

During recent digs, the monumental entrance gate of the Zeus Temple sanctuary in the ancient city of Aizanoi, located in...

2000-years-old Hercules Rock Relief is being Vandalized

17 February 2024

17 February 2024

The 2000-year-old Hercules Rock Relief, located in Deliktaş, approximately 2.5 kilometers northeast of the Iznik district center of Bursa, is...

Unique 2700-year-old mosaics unearthed in illegal excavations

17 November 2021

17 November 2021

Two 2700-year-old mosaics, which are thought to belong to a Roman rich man and symbolize magnificence, were found in a...

Newly Discovered Two Fortress Settlements and a New Type of Open-Air Temple in Eastern Anatolia Region of Türkiye

26 March 2024

26 March 2024

Two fortress settlements and two new open-air temples were discovered during a survey in Tunceli province in the Eastern Anatolia...

Anatolia’s largest olive oil factory unearthed

14 January 2022

14 January 2022

A Roman-era olive oil factory has been unearthed during excavations in the İskenderun district of Hatay. It has been reported...

1,800 years old Sewer system found in ancient city of Mastaura

17 May 2022

17 May 2022

Archaeologists found an 1800-year-old sewer system during excavations in the ancient city of Mastaura, in the Nazilli district of Aydın...

Findings showing the connection between Troy and Tavşanlı Höyük have been reached

23 August 2022

23 August 2022

Archaeologists unearthed 4,200-year-old hazelnut remains and marble idols during excavations at Tavşanlı Höyük (Tavsanlı Mound), located in the central Turkish...

Remains of first Islamic madrassa found in Turkey’s Harran

1 December 2021

1 December 2021

The remnants of a 12th-century madrassa (Islamic institution of higher instruction) have been discovered in the archaeological site of Harran,...

3500-year-old ceramic oven discovered in Turkey’s Tepecik Mound

24 August 2021

24 August 2021

A 3,500-year-old ceramic oven was unearthed in Tepecik Mound in the Çine district of Aydın, in western Turkey. Tepecik Höyük,...