The veil over the Neolithic era is gradually being lifted through a series of large-scale excavations in southern Türkiye, where archaeologists are uncovering new clues about the origins of settled human life.
In Şanlıurfa, 12 excavation sites, including the UNESCO-listed Göbeklitepe, which is often described as the “zero point of history,” are shedding fresh light on human societies that lived nearly 12,000 years ago.
At the heart of the effort is the Taş Tepeler (Stone Hills) Project, one of the most comprehensive archaeological initiatives in the history of modern Türkiye. Now in its fifth year, the project spans an area of roughly 100 square kilometers and encompasses key Neolithic sites such as Göbeklitepe, Karahantepe, Çakmaktepe, Sayburç, Ayanlar, Sefertepe, Gürcütepe and Yoğunburç.
Together, these sites are offering an unprecedented, multi-layered picture of early human communities.
Coordinated by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the project brings together 2019 academics, led by 36 professors from Türkiye as well as the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan.
Their work focuses not only on ritual practices — long associated with Göbeklitepe — but also on daily life, subsistence strategies, early domestication processes, architectural sophistication and production technologies of Neolithic societies.
As the scope of discoveries expands, so too does the project’s cultural and economic impact. Göbeklitepe currently attracts close to one million domestic and international visitors annually, a figure expected to rise significantly once the remaining 11 excavation sites are opened to the public.
Taş Tepeler Project Coordinator Necmi Karul said that the Neolithic traces in the region have long been studied with the support of international scholars and that the project is closely followed by academic circles worldwide.
“This initiative has demonstrated Türkiye’s strengthened capacity for international cooperation in archaeology,” he said. “It has revealed just how significant this region’s contribution to human history truly is.”
Karul emphasized that excavating multiple settlements simultaneously and uncovering numerous well-preserved structures is both rare and highly informative for understanding the Neolithic period.
Artifacts already being displayed in museums, he added, are bringing modern audiences closer to prehistoric humanity.
