Gobekli Tepe

E118069

Göbekli Tepe is an ancient archaeological site in southeastern Turkey, dating to the 10th millennium BCE, renowned for its massive T-shaped stone pillars and status as one of the world’s oldest known monumental religious complexes.

All labels observed (5)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Neolithic sanctuary
UNESCO World Heritage Site
archaeological site
abandoned circa 8000 BCE
associatedWith hunter-gatherer communities
coordinates approximately 37.223°N 38.922°E
country Turkey
culture Pre-Pottery Neolithic
discoveredBy Klaus Schmidt
discoveryDate 1994
elevation approximately 760 meters above sea level
endTime 8th millennium BCE
estimatedConstructionDate circa 9600 BCE
excavatedBy German Archaeological Institute
Şanlıurfa Museum
excavationStart mid-1990s
feature anthropomorphic pillars
carvings of foxes, boars, snakes, birds, and other animals
intentionally backfilled enclosures
megalithic T-shaped pillars up to about 5.5 meters high
no clear evidence of domestic architecture in earliest levels
pillars decorated with reliefs of animals and abstract symbols
firstSurveyDate 1960s
firstSurveyedBy University of Chicago and Istanbul University team
linked to: Istanbul University
function ceremonial gathering place
ritual center
hasPart T-shaped limestone pillars
central pair of large pillars in main enclosures
circular enclosures
rectangular structures
stone benches
heritageDesignation UNESCO World Heritage Site
locatedIn Şanlıurfa Province
locatedInRegion southeastern Anatolia
locatedNear Şanlıurfa
locatedOn Germuş mountains
materialUsed limestone
nameMeaning “Potbelly Hill” in Turkish
nearbyCityDistance about 15 km northeast of Şanlıurfa
period Pre-Pottery Neolithic A
Pre-Pottery Neolithic B
significance challenges traditional models of Neolithic transition
evidence for complex ritual behavior before agriculture and pottery
one of the oldest known monumental religious complexes
startTime 10th millennium BCE
UNESCOInscriptionYear 2018
UNESCOSiteCriteria (i)
(ii)
(iv)
UNESCOSiteId 1572
UNESCOSiteType Cultural

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (11)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Graham Hancock hasWrittenAbout Gobekli Tepe
Magicians of the Gods examines Göbekli Tepe
linked to: Gobekli Tepe
Asian Turkey containsSite Göbekli Tepe
linked to: Gobekli Tepe
Upper Mesopotamia hasArchaeologicalSite Göbekli Tepe
linked to: Gobekli Tepe
Şanlıurfa hasNearbySite Göbekli Tepe
subject linked to: Şanlıurfa, Turkey
linked to: Gobekli Tepe
Şanlıurfa hasNearbySite Göbekli Tepe
linked to: Gobekli Tepe
Şanlıurfa Province contains Göbekli Tepe
linked to: Gobekli Tepe
Şanlıurfa Province hasSite UNESCO World Heritage Site Göbekli Tepe
linked to: Gobekli Tepe
Şanlıurfa Province knownFor Göbekli Tepe archaeological site
linked to: Gobekli Tepe
Klaus Schmidt workLocation Göbekli Tepe
linked to: Gobekli Tepe
Klaus Schmidt associatedWith Göbekli Tepe archaeological project
linked to: Gobekli Tepe