The neolithic site is located in southeastern Turkey, and its most recent research might turn the entire history of mankind upside down. It was first unearthed in the 1960s but remained almost untouched until the 1990s.
1.It Is Almost 12,000 Years Old
It precedes Stonehenge by 6,000 years. Just to put things in perspective, there was roughly the same amount of time between the creation of Stonehenge and today as there was between the construction of Göbekli Tepe and Stonehenge, the world’s best renowned neolithic site.
The site predates the Sumerian era, considered one of the earliest true civilizations, and the invention of writing by about 6,000 years.
The building of Göbekli Tepe dates to a time that is typically regarded as pre-civilization, about 12,000 years ago. It was constructed just as the last ice age was coming to an end. After that, Göbekli Tepe continued to be a thriving society for almost three millennia before disappearing for unknown reasons.
2. Its Architecture Is Unparalleled Even Today
Its numerous “temples” were built in a skillful architectural style that is immensely magnificent and would be in any era. But what makes the site such a revolutionary discovery for archaeology is the marriage of its age and construction excellence. The craftsmanship at Göbekli Tepe was thousands of years in advance of its time and was created long before it should have been feasible to build something like that.
3. A temple or a Burial Site
The majority of archaeologists think Göbekli Tepe was intended to be a religious building, however others also think it might have been a burial place. This makes Göbekli Tepe, by a wide margin, the oldest temple in the world.
4. Ornamented Pillars
Both in terms of their size and how they were assembled, the stones that make up the Göbekli Tepe temples are stunning. Many of the stones, however, also have high artistic significance. The majority of the central pillars are ornamented with exquisite animal paintings, and some even feature intricate animal figurines carved directly into the surface of the pillar.
‘’Whatever the origin story of Göbekli Tepe, it’ “is the most remarkable place,”Tristan Carter, an expert on the site and an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at McMaster University in Canada said. “People weren’t meant to be doing things as grand and as complex so early.” During the period in which the Göbekli Tepe architects lived, a major change was happening.’’
