Archeological excavations across 12 key locations around Şanlıurfa in southeastern Türkiye – ranging from the iconic Göbeklitepe near the central district to Karahantepe, Sayburç and Çakmaktepe – are boosting tourism in the region.
Work is currently underway at Neolithic sites across Şanlıurfa as part of the Taş Tepeler Project – meaning “Stone Hills” in Turkish, an ongoing six-year initiative hailed as one of the most extensive archaeological endeavors in the history of the Republic of Türkiye.
Under the coordination of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, archaeological excavations are currently underway at Göbeklitepe, Karahantepe, Çakmaktepe, Sayburç, Ayanlar, Sefertepe, Gürcütepe, Harbetsuvan, Yeni Mahalle, Kurt Tepesi, Mendik and Yoğunburç as part of the project.
With researchers from Türkiye working alongside international researchers from China, the U.K., Germany and Japan, the research is uncovering findings regarding the lifestyles, rituals, subsistence strategies, architectural structures and production technologies during the Neolithic period.
The most prominent archaeological site in the region is Göbeklitepe, a UNESCO World Heritage site hailed as the "zero point of history."
