Former watchman devotes lifetime to Konya's Çatalhöyük
çatalhöyük
What began as a childhood spent herding sheep across the plains surrounding the Neolithic settlement of Çatalhöyük has evolved into a lifelong commitment to preserving one of humanity’s oldest urban communities for Sadrettin Dural, a retired watchman whose self-taught expertise has earned international recognition.
Born in Küçükköy, a village about two kilometers from the UNESCO World Heritage site, the 63-year-old first encountered Çatalhöyük as a shepherd. In 1993, he was appointed as a watchman at the archaeological site, a role that transformed both his life and his understanding of history.
Although his official duties ended in 2001, Dural never severed his ties with the 9,000-year-old settlement. Instead, he continued following excavations closely, gradually becoming what archaeologists describe as one of the site’s living memories.
