Karahantepe, Sayburç reveal major turning point in human history

ISTANBUL

The progress of excavations has created the potential to transform Sayburç into an open-air museum featuring its public buildings and houses.

Türkiye is set to expand its archaeological footprint and museum network across the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa, according to Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.

Driven by recent findings at the Karahantepe and Sayburç sites, the ongoing initiatives aim to uncover the architectural and social foundations of humanity’s earliest settled communities.

Ersoy met with Culture and Tourism Ministry General Director of Cultural Heritage and Museums Birol İnceciköz, Deputy General Director Bülent Gönültaş and Professor Necmi Karul, coordinator of the Taş Tepeler Project.

During the meeting, Karul presented the latest findings from archaeological excavations at Karahantepe and Sayburç, as well as plans for future work under the Legacy for the Future and Stone Hills projects.

Ersoy later said on social media that they were “preparing for a new era in Şanlıurfa, where some of the greatest transformations in human history took place.”

According to Ersoy, the region provides important evidence about the emergence of settled life and large Neolithic settlements following the Ice Age.

The area has also revealed evidence of sophisticated hunting and water-management practices dating to the period when early communities were establishing permanent settlements.

Karahantepe is particularly significant for findings that shed light on the origins of myths, while also containing some of the earliest known examples of architectural features such as stairs and windows.

Findings from the site are providing new insights into the early stages of architectural history and the way of life of Neolithic communities.

Nearly 70 structures uncovered at Sayburç

Dating to the mid-9th millennium B.C., Sayburç is a multilayered settlement that bears traces from the Neolithic period through the Roman era and into modern village life.

During the sixth season of excavations, archaeologists uncovered nearly 70 well-preserved houses and special-purpose structures across an area of 2,700 square meters.

The site has yielded reliefs, human sculptures, monumental T-shaped pillars and human-faced bases that are contributing to a better understanding of Neolithic art.

The excavated structures also provide evidence of the transition from circular to rectangular architecture and offer important clues about the emergence of the concepts of the house and household.

The progress of excavations has created the potential to transform Sayburç into an open-air museum featuring its public buildings, houses and works reflecting the artistic traditions of the period.

Its proximity to Şanlıurfa city center, location on the Gaziantep road and position among archaeological sites west of the city are expected to make Sayburç an important stop on the Taş Tepeler route.

Traditional village buildings in the expropriated area are also planned to be restored and turned into a pioneering village museum integrated with the open-air archaeological site.

“Following the discovery of nearly 70 structures across 2,700 square meters at Sayburç, we plan to transform the settlement into an open-air museum and the traditional village buildings into a pioneering village museum,” Ersoy said.

He added that the ministry would continue efforts under the Legacy for the Future and Taş Tepeler projects to uncover, preserve and pass on Şanlıurfa’s unique cultural heritage through scientific research.