‘Everything is natural in Göbeklitepe,’ says minister

ŞANLIURFA

Culture and Tourism Minister Numan Kurtulmuş visited Göbeklitepe, considered one of the world’s oldest temples, on April 14. It is also on UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage Sites. 

Kurtulmuş was given information about the work on the ancient site in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa and examined the projects carried out there.

Speaking to press members, the minister pointed out the importance of Göbeklitepe in terms of Turkish tourism. He said the ancient settlement should be promoted more. 

“The discovery of Göbeklitepe is a big gain for Turkey, as well as for humanity. It is a great gift to history and cultural civilization. Excavation works here will be maintained studiously and carefully. In order to protect all of its unique features, the materials used in the works and all the processes carried out are 100 percent natural. I hope that more important artifacts will be discovered in the coming years,” said Kurtulmuş. 

“Göbeklitepe is an archaeological site that has a brand value and great importance for Turkey’s promotion to the world. I hope people from all around the world will know Turkey, Şanlıurfa and Mesopotamia in the future thanks to Göbeklitepe,” he said. 

Kurtulmuş said the ministry has carried out works for the promotion of the ancient settlement, adding that the coordination between the public and private sector has been effective for Göbeklitepe’s current state. 

The minister also thanked those who worked on the promotion of Göbeklitepe and said he believed that millions of people would come to Turkey to visit the site.

“Every year, one or more places in Turkey are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Göbeklitepe is one of the places that deserves to be on the list. We are working on it,” he said, speaking about the UNESCO process of Göbeklitepe. 

When a press member said tourism was interrupted by terror in the region in recent years, Kurtulmuş said he had positive impressions about this issue during his visits to Mardin and Şanlıurfa. 

The minister said people in the region have relaxed as terror has ended and it has also positively affected tourism. 

“I have seen hotels in Mardin and Şanlıurfa are full and lots of tourists are coming to the region. The fight against terror continues with determination and we see its results in tourism. The eastern and southeastern regions will be Turkey’s shining stars in the near future. We will have very positive results within a short period of time,” Kurtulmuş said.