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{{short description|archaeological and UNESCO World Heritage Site}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox ancient site
 |name = Göbekli Tepe
 |image = [[File:Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg|300px]]
 |caption = The ruins of Göbekli Tepe
 |alt = structures A - D
 |map_type = Turkey#Near East#Mediterranean east
 |map_alt = 
 |map_size = 280
 |relief=yes
 |coordinates = {{coord|37|13|23|N|38|55|21|E|display=inline,title}}
 |location = Örencik, [[Şanlıurfa Province]], [[Turkey]]
 |region = 
 |type = Sanctuary
| builder = 
| material = 
| built = pre 10th millennium BCE
| abandoned = 8th millennium BCE
|epochs = [[Pre-Pottery Neolithic A]] to [[Pre-Pottery Neolithic B|B]]
|public_access = 
|condition = Well preserved
| designation1 = WHS
| designation1_offname = Göbekli Tepe
| designation1_date = 2018 (42nd session)
| designation1_type = Cultural
| designation1_criteria = (i), (ii), (iv)
| designation1_number = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1572 1572]
| designation1_free1name = State Party
| designation1_free1value = Turkey
| designation1_free2name = Region
| designation1_free2value = [[List of World Heritage Sites in Western Asia|Western Asia]]
}}
'''Göbekli Tepe''' ({{IPA-tr|ɟœbecˈli teˈpe|lang}},<ref>{{cite web | title=Göbekli Tepe |publisher=Forvo Pronunciation Dictionary |url=http://www.forvo.com/word/g%C3%B6bekli_tepe/}}</ref> "Potbelly Hill")<ref name=":0">{{cite journal | title=History in the Remaking| journal=Newsweek| date=18 Feb 2010}}</ref> is an archaeological site in the [[Southeastern Anatolia Region]] of [[Turkey]] approximately {{cvt|12|km|0}} northeast of the city of [[Şanlıurfa]].  The [[Tell (archaeology)|tell]] (artificial mound) has a height of {{cvt|15|m|-1}} and is about {{cvt|300|m|-2}} in diameter.<ref>Klaus Schmidt (2009)  "Göbekli Tepe – Eine Beschreibung der wichtigsten Befunde erstellt nach den Arbeiten der Grabungsteams der Jahre 1995–2007"; ''Erste Tempel – Frühe Siedlungen''; 12000 Jahre Kunst und Kultur; Oldenburg; p. 188</ref>  It is approximately {{cvt|760|m|-2}} above sea level.

The tell includes two phases of use, believed to be of a social or ritual nature by site discoverer and excavator [[Klaus Schmidt (archaeologist)|Klaus Schmidt]],<ref name="Smithsonian">{{cite web | url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/30706129.html| title=Göbekli Tepe: The World's First Temple?| last=Curry| first=Andrew| date=November 2008| publisher=Smithsonian Institution| accessdate=2019-03-31}}</ref> dating back to the 10th–8th millennium [[Before Common Era|BCE]].<ref name="Dietrich1">{{cite book |author1=Oliver Dietrich |author2=Jens Notroff |editor1-last=Laneri |editor1-first=Nicola |title=Defining the Sacred: Approaches to the Archaeology of Religion in the Near East |date=2015 |publisher=Oxbow Books |isbn=978-1-78297-685-1 |page=75 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M98dCgAAQBAJ&lpg=PA75&dq=G%C3%B6bekli%20Tepe%20earliest&pg=PA75#v=onepage |accessdate=22 May 2020 |language=en |chapter=A sanctuary, or so fair a house? In defense of an archaeology of cult at Pre-Pottery Neolithic Gobekli Tepe}}</ref> During the first phase, belonging to the [[Pre-Pottery Neolithic A]] (PPNA), circles of massive 'T'-shaped stone pillars were erected – the world's oldest known [[megalith]]s.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qR5TCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA47| title=The Archaeology of Malta| publisher=Cambridge University Press| isbn=9781107006690| page=47| language=en| last1=Sagona| first1=Claudia| accessdate=25 November 2016| date=25 August 2015}}</ref>

More than 200 pillars in about 20 circles are known (as of May 2020) through [[Geophysical survey (archaeology)|geophysical surveys]].  Each pillar has a height of up to {{cvt|6|m|0}} and weighs up to 10 tons.  They are fitted into sockets that were hewn out of the local [[bedrock]].<ref>{{cite journal | first=Andrew |last=Curry |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/gobekli-tepe.html |date=November 2008 |journal=Smithsonian Magazine |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] |title=Gobekli Tepe: The World's First Temple? |accessdate=August 2, 2013}}</ref>  In the second phase, belonging to the [[Pre-Pottery Neolithic B]] (PPNB), the erected pillars are smaller and stood in rectangular rooms with floors of polished [[Lime (material)|lime]].  The site was abandoned after the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB). Younger structures date to classical times.

The details of the structure's function remain a mystery. The excavations have been ongoing since 1996 by the [[German Archaeological Institute]], but large parts still remain unexcavated.  In 2018, the site was designated a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1572| title=Göbekli Tepe| last=Centre| first=UNESCO World Heritage| website=whc.unesco.org| language=en| access-date=2018-07-01}}</ref>

==Discovery==
[[File:Göbekli Tepe site (1).JPG|thumb|left|upright=.8|Göbekli Tepe site (1)]]

The site was first noted in a [[Survey (archaeology)|survey]] conducted by [[Istanbul University]] and the [[University of Chicago]] in 1963.<ref>Peter Benedict (1980): ''Survey Work in Southeastern Anatolia''. In: Halet Çambel; Robert J. Braidwood (ed.): ''Prehistoric Research in Southeastern Anatolia I''. Edebiyat Fakültesi Basimevi, Istanbul, pp. 151–191.</ref> American archaeologist Peter Benedict identified [[Stone tool|lithics]] collected from the surface of the site as belonging to the [[Aceramic Neolithic]],<ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TY3t4y_L5SQC&pg=PA917|title=The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Anatolia|last=Schmidt|first=Klaus|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2011|isbn=9780195376142|editor-last=Steadman|editor-first=Sharon R.|location=Oxford|pages=917|language=en|chapter=Göbekli Tepe: A Neolithic Site in Southwestern Anatolia|editor-last2=McMahon|editor-first2=Gregory}}</ref> but mistook stone slabs (the upper parts of the T-shaped pillars) for grave markers, postulating that the prehistoric phase was overlain by a [[Byzantine]] cemetery.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/12/19/the-sanctuary|title=Turkey's Ancient Sanctuary|website=The New Yorker|access-date=2017-08-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.history.com/news/worlds-oldest-monument-to-receive-a-multi-million-dollar-investment|title=World's Oldest Monument to Receive a Multi-Million Dollar Investment|work=HISTORY.com|access-date=2017-08-26}}</ref> The hill had long been under agricultural cultivation, and generations of local inhabitants had frequently moved rocks and placed them in clearance piles, which may have disturbed the upper layers of the site. At some point attempts had been made to break up some of the pillars, presumably by farmers who mistook them for ordinary large rocks.<ref name="Smithsonian"/>

In 1994, [[Klaus Schmidt (archaeologist)|Klaus Schmidt]] of the [[German Archaeological Institute]], who had previously been working at [[Nevalı Çori]], was looking for another site to excavate. He reviewed the archaeological literature on the surrounding area, found the 1963 Chicago researchers’ brief description of Göbekli Tepe, and decided to reexamine the site. Having found similar structures at Nevalı Çori, he recognized the possibility that the rocks and slabs were prehistoric. The following year, he began excavating there in collaboration with the [[Şanlıurfa Museum]], and soon unearthed the first of the huge T-shaped pillars.<ref name="Smithsonian" /><ref>The story of the discovery and early excavation of the site is told in greater detail in the excavation team's [https://www.dainst.blog/the-tepe-telegrams/ official blog]. See: https://www.dainst.blog/the-tepe-telegrams/2016/06/02/gobekli-tepe-the-first-20-years-of-research/ (Accessed 2019-08-04)</ref>

[[File:Göbekli2012-15.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|Göbekli Tepe site during excavation.]]

==Dating==
The imposing [[stratigraphy]] of Göbekli Tepe attests to many centuries of activity, beginning at least as early as the [[Epipalaeolithic Near East|Epipaleolithic]] period.  Structures identified with the succeeding period, [[Pre-Pottery Neolithic A]] (PPNA), have been dated to the 10th millennium BCE.<ref name=Dietrich2>{{cite journal | last=Dietrich |first=Oliver |title=Establishing a Radiocarbon Sequence for Göbekli Tepe. State of Research and New Data |url=https://www.academia.edu/4386577 |journal=Neo-Lithics |volume=1 |issue=13 |pages=35–37 |access-date=24 November 2019}}</ref>  Remains of smaller buildings identified as [[Pre-Pottery Neolithic B]] (PPNB) and dating from the 9th millennium BCE have also been unearthed.<ref name=Dietrich1/>

A number of [[Radiocarbon dating|radiocarbon dates]] have been published:<ref>Dietrich, Oliver. (2011). Radiocarbon dating the first temples of mankind. Comments on 14C-Dates from Göbekli Tepe. Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie. 4. 12-25.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Lab-Number !! Context !! cal BCE
|-
| Ua-19561 || enclosure C || 7560–7370
|-
| Ua-19562 || enclosure B || 8280–7970
|-
| Hd-20025 || Layer III || 9110–8620
|-
| Hd-20036 || Layer III || 9130–8800
|}

The Hd samples are from [[charcoal]] in the fill of the lowest levels of the site and date the end of the active phase of the occupation of Level III – the actual structures will be older. The Ua samples come from [[Pedogenesis|pedogenic]] [[carbonate]] coatings on pillars and only indicate the time after the site was abandoned{{snd}}the ''[[terminus ante quem]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.canew.org/uppermesop14cbox.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090313082449/http://www.canew.org/uppermesop14cbox.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=13 March 2009| title=The CANEW Project| author=| date=13 March 2009}}</ref>

[[File:Göbekli Tepe.jpg|thumb|center|upright=2.5|View of site and excavation]]

==Complex==
[[File:Göbekli2012-20.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|Complex E]]

Göbekli Tepe is on a flat and barren plateau, with buildings fanning in all directions. In the north, the plateau is connected to a neighbouring mountain range by a narrow promontory. In all other directions, the ridge descends steeply into slopes and steep cliffs.<ref>Klaus Schmidt: ''Sie bauten die ersten Tempel. Das rätselhafte Heiligtum der Steinzeitjäger. Die archäologische Entdeckung am Göbekli Tepe.'' Munich 2006, p. 102.</ref> On top of the ridge there is considerable evidence of human impact, in addition to the construction of the tell. Excavations have taken place at the southern slope of the tell, south and west of a [[mulberry]] that marks an [[Pilgrimage|Islamic pilgrimage]],<ref>Klaus Schmidt: ''Göbekli Tepe. Eine Beschreibung der wichtigsten Befunde erstellt nach den Arbeiten der Grabungsteams der Jahre 1995–2007''. In: ''Erste Tempel – Frühe Siedlungen. 12000 Jahre Kunst und Kultur. Ausgrabungen und Forschungen zwischen Donau und Euphrat. Oldenburg 2009, p. 188.</ref> but archaeological finds come from the entire plateau. The team has also found many remains of tools.

===Plateau===
[[File:Gobekli Tepe 2.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Pillar 2 from Enclosure A (Layer III) with [[low relief]]s of what are believed to be a [[bull]], [[fox]], and [[crane (bird)|crane]]]]
The plateau has been transformed by erosion and by [[quarry]]ing, which took place not only in the Neolithic, but also in classical times. There are four {{convert|10|m|ft|adj=mid|-long}} and {{convert|20|cm|in|adj=mid|-wide}} channels on the southern part of the plateau, interpreted as the remains of an ancient quarry from which rectangular blocks were taken. These possibly are related to a square building in the neighbourhood, of which only the foundation is preserved. Presumably this is the remains of a Roman [[watchtower]] that was part of the [[Limes Arabicus]], however, this is conjecture.<ref name="Schmitt 2006, p. 105">Schmidt 2006, p. 105</ref>

Most structures on the plateau seem to be the result of Neolithic quarrying, with the quarries being used as sources for the huge, monolithic architectural elements. Their profiles were pecked into the rock, with the detached blocks then levered out of the rock bank.<ref name="Schmitt 2006, p. 105"/> Several quarries where round workpieces had been produced were identified. Their status as quarries was confirmed by the find of a 3-by-3&nbsp;metre piece at the southeastern slope of the plateau. Unequivocally Neolithic are three T-shaped pillars that had not yet been levered out of the bedrock. The largest of them lies on the northern plateau. It has a length of {{convert|7|m|0|abbr=on}} and its head has a width of {{convert|3|m|0|abbr=on}}. Its weight may be around 50&nbsp;tons. The two other unfinished pillars lie on the southern Plateau.
[[File:Göbekli Tepe surrounding area.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1|Area surrounding Göbekli Tepe]]
{{clear left}}

===Tell===
At the western edge of the hill, a lionlike figure was found. In this area, [[flint]] and limestone fragments occur more frequently. It was therefore suggested that this could have been some kind of sculpture workshop.<ref>Schmidt 2006, pp. 109–111</ref> It is unclear, on the other hand, how to classify three [[phallus|phallic]] depictions from the surface of the southern plateau. They are near the quarries of classical times, making their dating difficult.<ref name="Schmidtp111">Schmidt 2006, p. 111</ref>

Apart from the tell, there is an incised platform with two sockets that could have held pillars, and a surrounding flat bench. This platform corresponds to the complexes from Layer&nbsp;III at the tell. Continuing the naming pattern, it is called "complex&nbsp;E". Owing to its similarity to the cult-buildings at [[Nevalı Çori]] it has also been called "Temple of the Rock". Its floor has been carefully hewn out of the bedrock and smoothed, reminiscent of the [[terrazzo]] floors of the younger complexes at Göbekli Tepe. Immediately northwest of this area are two cistern-like pits that are believed to be part of complex&nbsp;E. One of these pits has a table-high pin as well as a staircase with five steps.<ref>Schmidt 2006, p. 109</ref>

At the western [[escarpment]], a small cave has been discovered in which a small [[relief]] depicting a [[bovid]] was found. It is the only relief found in this cave.<ref name="Schmidtp111" />

===Layer III===
{{multiple image
| align = left
| direction = horizontal
| header = Animal sculpture ({{circa|9,000 BCE}})
| total_width = 400
| image1 = GobeklitepeHeykel.jpg
| image2 = Gobeklitepe_animal_sculpture,_circa_9000_BCE.jpg
| footer=<center>Pillar 27 from Enclosure C (Layer III) with the sculpture of a predatory animal in high relief catching a prey in low relief.<ref>{{cite book | last1=Steadman |first1=Sharon R. |last2=McMahon |first2=Gregory |title=The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Anatolia: (10,000–323 BCE) |date=2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=US|isbn=978-0195376142 |page=923 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TY3t4y_L5SQC&pg=PA923 |language=en}}</ref></center>
}}

At this early stage of the site's history, circular compounds or ''[[Temenos|temene]]'' first appear. They range from 10 to 30 metres in diameter. Their most notable feature is the presence of T-shaped [[limestone]] pillars evenly set within thick interior walls composed of unworked stone. Four such circular structures have been unearthed so far. Geophysical surveys indicate that there are 16 more, enclosing up to eight pillars each, amounting to nearly 200 pillars in all. The slabs were transported from bedrock pits located approximately 100 metres (330&nbsp;ft) from the hilltop, with workers using flint points to cut through the limestone bedrock.<ref>Schmidt 2000b, pp. 52–53</ref>

[[File:Göbekli Tepe Pillar.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1|Pillar with the sculpture of a fox]]

Two taller pillars stand facing one another at the centre of each circle. Whether the circles were provided with a roof is uncertain. Stone benches designed for sitting are found in the interior.<ref>Mithen 2004, p. 65</ref> Many of the pillars are decorated with [[Abstract art|abstract]], enigmatic [[pictogram]]s and carved animal reliefs. The pictograms may represent commonly understood sacred symbols, as known from [[Neolithic]] [[cave paintings]] elsewhere. The reliefs depict mammals such as lions, bulls, boars, foxes, gazelles, and donkeys; snakes and other reptiles; [[arthropod]]s such as insects and arachnids; and birds, particularly vultures. At the time the edifice was constructed, the surrounding country was likely to have been forested and capable of sustaining this variety of wildlife, before millennia of human settlement and cultivation led to the near–[[Dust Bowl]] conditions prevalent today.<ref name="Smithsonian"/> Vultures also feature prominently in the iconography of [[Çatalhöyük]] and [[Jericho]].

[[File:Göbekli2012-3.jpg|thumb|left|upright=.8|Monolith with possible bird figures]]

Few humanoid figures have appeared in the art at Göbekli Tepe. Some of the T-shaped pillars have human arms carved on their lower half, however, suggesting to site excavator Schmidt that they are intended to represent the bodies of stylized humans (or perhaps deities). Loincloths appear on the lower half of a few pillars. The horizontal stone slab on top is thought by Schmidt to symbolize shoulders, which suggests that the figures were left headless.<ref>Schmidt 2010, pp. 244, 246</ref> Whether they were intended to serve as surrogate worshippers, symbolize venerated ancestors, or represent supernatural, anthropomorphic beings is not known.

Some of the floors in this, the oldest, layer are made of [[terrazzo]] (burnt lime); others are bedrock from which pedestals to hold the large pair of central pillars were carved in high relief.<ref>Schmidt, 2010, p. 251.</ref> Radiocarbon dating places the construction of these early circles in the range of 9600 to 8800 BCE. Carbon dating suggests that (for reasons unknown) the enclosures were backfilled during the Stone Age.

===Layer II===
[[File:Şanlıurfa Müzesi Neotilik Çağ totem.jpg|thumb|upright=1|A sort of [[totem pole]] from Göbekli Tepe, with portions of humanoid figures. Layer II, 8800–8000 BCE – [[Şanlıurfa Museum|Şanlıurfa (Urfa) Museum]]]]

Creation of the circular enclosures in layer III later gave way to the construction of small rectangular rooms in layer II. Rectangular buildings make a more efficient use of space compared with circular structures. They often are associated with the emergence of the Neolithic,<ref>Flannery and Marcus, ''The Creation of Inequality'', p. 128</ref> but the T-shaped pillars, the main feature of the older enclosures, also are present here, indicating that the buildings of Layer II continued to serve the same function in the culture, presumably as sanctuaries.<ref>Schmidt 2010, pp. 239, 241.</ref> Layer II is assigned to [[Pre-Pottery Neolithic B]] (PPNB). The several adjoining rectangular, doorless and windowless rooms have floors of polished lime reminiscent of [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] terrazzo floors. Carbon dating has yielded dates between 8800 and 8000 BCE.<ref>Schmidt 2009, p. 291</ref> Several T-pillars up to 1.5 meters tall occupy the center of the rooms. A pair decorated with fierce-looking lions is the rationale for the name "lion pillar building" by which their enclosure is known.<ref>Schmidt 1990, p. 198</ref>

A stone pillar resembling totem pole designs was discovered at Göbekli Tepe, Layer II in 2010. It is 1.92 metres high, and is superficially reminiscent of the totem poles in North America. The pole features three figures, the uppermost depicting a predator, probably a bear, and below it a human-like shape. Because the statue is damaged, the interpretation is not entirely clear. Fragments of a similar pole also were discovered about 20 years ago in another Turkey site at [[Nevalı Çori]]. Also, an older layer at Gobekli features some related sculptures portraying animals on human heads.<ref>[https://tepetelegrams.wordpress.com/2017/03/01/the-gobekli-tepe-totem-pole/ The Göbekli Tepe ‘Totem Pole’.] News & Notes from the Göbekli Tepe Research Staff – 2017-03-01</ref>

===Layer I===
Layer I is the uppermost part of the hill. It is the shallowest, but accounts for the longest stretch of time. It consists of loose sediments caused by erosion and the virtually-uninterrupted use of the hill for agricultural purposes since it ceased to operate as a ceremonial center.

The site was deliberately [[Earthworks (engineering)|backfilled]] sometime after 8000 BCE: the buildings were buried under debris, mostly flint [[gravel]], stone tools, and animal bones.<ref>Schmidt 2010, p. 242</ref> In addition to [[Byblos]] points (weapon heads, such as arrowheads etc.) and numerous [[Nemrik]] points, [[Helwan]]-points, and [[Tell Aswad|Aswad]]-points dominate the backfill's lithic inventory.

==Chronological context==
[[File:Göbekli2012-27.jpg|thumb|left|upright=.8|Statue of a wild boar, Göbekli Tepe, 9000 BCE]]

All statements about the site must be considered preliminary, as less than 5% of the site has been excavated, and Schmidt planned to leave much of it untouched to be explored by future generations when archaeological techniques will presumably have improved.<ref name="Smithsonian"/> While the site formally belongs to the earliest Neolithic ([[Pre-Pottery Neolithic A|PPNA]]), to date no traces of domesticated plants or animals have been found. The inhabitants are presumed to have been [[hunters and gatherers]] who nevertheless lived in villages for at least part of the year.<ref>The Guardian report 23 April 2008</ref> So far, very little evidence for residential use has been found. Through the [[radiocarbon dating|radiocarbon]] method, the end of Layer III can be fixed at about 9000 BCE (see above), but it is hypothesized by some archaeologists{{by whom|date=June 2018}} that the elevated location may have functioned as a spiritual center during 10,000 BCE or earlier, essentially, at the very end of the [[Pleistocene]].

The surviving structures, then, not only predate [[pottery]], [[metallurgy]], and the invention of writing or the wheel, but were built before the [[Neolithic Revolution]], that marks the beginning of [[agriculture]] and [[animal husbandry]], around 9000 BCE. The construction of Göbekli Tepe implies organization of an advanced order not hitherto associated with [[Paleolithic]], [[Pre-Pottery Neolithic A|PPNA]], or [[Pre-Pottery Neolithic B|PPNB]] societies, however. Archaeologists estimate that up to 500 persons were required to extract the heavy pillars from local [[quarry|quarries]] and move them {{convert|100|-|500|m|ft|-1|sp=us}} to the site.<ref>{{cite web| title= Which came first, monumental building projects or farming? |work=Archaeo News |date= 14 December 2008 | url= http://www.stonepages.com/news/archives/003061.html}}</ref> The pillars weigh {{convert|10|-|20|MT|lk=out|0}}, with one still in the quarry weighing 50 tons.<ref>{{cite book|last=Taracha|first=Piotr|title=Religions of second millennium Anatolia|year=2009|publisher=Eisenbrauns|isbn=978-3-447-05885-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xTE7o8aKI7IC&pg=PA12&dq=%22G%C3%B6bekli+Tepe%22+%2250+tons%22#v=onepage|page=12}}</ref>

Around the beginning of the 8th millennium BCE Göbekli Tepe lost its importance. The advent of agriculture and animal husbandry brought new realities to human life in the area, and the "Stone-age zoo" (Schmidt's phrase applied particularly to Layer III, Enclosure D) apparently lost whatever significance it had had for the region's older, foraging communities. However, the complex was not simply abandoned and forgotten to be gradually destroyed by the elements. Instead, each enclosure was deliberately buried under as much as {{convert|300|to|500|m3|cuyd|-1|sp=us}} of refuse, creating a tell consisting mainly of small limestone fragments, stone vessels, and stone tools. Many animal and even human bones have been identified in the fill.<ref>Schmidt 2010, pp. 242–243, 249.</ref> Why the enclosures were buried is unknown, but it preserved them for posterity.

==Interpretation==
Schmidt's view was that Göbekli Tepe is a stone-age mountain sanctuary. [[Radiocarbon dating]] as well as comparative, stylistical analysis indicate that it is the oldest known temple yet discovered anywhere.<ref name="Smithsonian"/><ref name="ArchMag">{{cite web | url=http://www.archaeology.org/0811/abstracts/turkey.html| title=The World's First Temple| work= Archaeology magazine |date=Nov–Dec 2008 | page=23}}</ref> Schmidt believed that what he called this "cathedral on a hill" was a pilgrimage destination attracting worshippers up to {{convert|150|km|abbr=on|-1}} distant. Butchered bones found in large numbers from local game such as deer, gazelle, pigs, and geese have been identified as refuse from food hunted and cooked or otherwise prepared for the congregants.<ref>Peters & Schmidt 2004, 207</ref> Zooarchaeological analysis shows that gazelle were only seasonally present in the region, suggesting that events such as rituals and feasts were likely timed to occur during periods when game availability was at its peak.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pöllath|first=Nadja|date=August 2013|title=Gazelle behaviour and human presence at early Neolithic Göbekli Tepe, south-east Anatolia|url=|journal=World Archaeology|volume=|pages=|via=}}</ref>

[[File:Klaus Schmidt Monumento 2014 5.jpg|thumb|left|upright=.8|Klaus Schmidt, 2014 in Salzburg]]

Schmidt considered Göbekli Tepe a central location for a [[Veneration of the dead|cult of the dead]] and that the carved animals are there to protect the dead. Though no tombs or graves have yet been found, Schmidt believed that graves remain to be discovered in niches located behind the walls of the sacred circles.<ref name="Smithsonian"/> In 2017, discovery of human crania with incisions was reported, interpreted as providing evidence for a new form of Neolithic skull [[cult]].<ref>Julia Gresky, Juliane Haelm and Lee Clare, "Modified human crania from Göbekli Tepe provide evidence for a new form of Neolithic skull cult", ''Science Advances'', Vol. 3, no. 6, 28 Jun 2017. {{doi|10.1126/sciadv.1700564}}.</ref>

Schmidt also interpreted the site in connection with the initial stages of the [[Neolithic]].<ref name="Smithsonian" /> It is one of several sites in the vicinity of [[Karaca Dağ]], an area that [[genetics|geneticists]] suspect may have been the original source of at least some of our cultivated grains (see [[Einkorn]]). Recent DNA analysis of modern domesticated wheat compared with wild wheat has shown that its [[DNA]] is closest in sequence to wild wheat found on [[Karaca Dağ]] {{convert|30|km|-1|abbr=on}} away from the site, suggesting that this is where modern wheat was first domesticated.<ref>Heun et al., ''Site of Einkorn Wheat Domestication Identified by DNA Fingerprinting'', Science, 278 (1997) 1312–1314.</ref>

[[File:UrfaMuseumGöbekli.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|Steles and sculptures from Göbekli Tepe in [[Şanlıurfa Museum]] ]]

With its mountains catching the rain and a [[calcareous]], porous bedrock creating many springs, creeks, and rivers,<ref name=":2" /> the upper reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris was a refuge during the dry and cold [[Younger Dryas]] climatic event (10,800–9,500 BCE).{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}} Speculation exists that conditions driven by population expansions locally could have led them to develop common rituals strengthened by monumental gathering places to reduce tensions and conflicts over resources,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tepetelegrams.wordpress.com/2017/06/01/cooperative-action-of-hunter-gatherers-in-the-early-neolithic-near-east-a-view-from-goebekli-tepe/|title=Cooperative Action of Hunter-Gatherers in the Early Neolithic Near East. A View from Göbekli Tepe|last=Oliver|first=Dietrich|date=June 1, 2017|website=|access-date=}}</ref> and probably, to mark territorial claims.

Schmidt also engaged in speculation regarding the belief systems of the groups that created Göbekli Tepe, based on comparisons with other shrines and settlements. He presumed [[shamanism|shamanic]] practices and suggested that the T-shaped pillars represent human forms, perhaps ancestors, whereas he saw a fully articulated belief in deities as not developing until later, in [[Mesopotamia]], that was associated with extensive [[temple]]s and palaces. This corresponds well with an ancient [[Sumer]]ian belief that [[agriculture]], [[animal husbandry]], and weaving were brought to humans from the sacred mountain [[Ekur]], which was inhabited by [[Annuna]] deities, very ancient deities without individual names. Schmidt identified this story as a primeval oriental myth that preserves a partial memory of the emerging Neolithic.<ref>Schmidt 2006, pp. 216–221</ref> It is apparent that the animal and other images give no indication of organized violence, i.e. there are no depictions of hunting raids or wounded animals, and the pillar carvings generally ignore game on which the society depended, such as deer, in favour of formidable creatures such as lions, snakes, spiders, and scorpions.<ref name="Smithsonian" /><ref>Schmidt 2006, pp. 193–194, 218.</ref><ref>Peters & Schmidt 2004, p. 209</ref> Expanding on Schmidt's interpretation that round enclosures could represent sanctuaries, Gheorghiu's semiotic interpretation reads the Göbekli Tepe iconography as a cosmogonic map that would have related the local community to the surrounding landscape and the cosmos.<ref>Dragos Gheorghiu (2015); ''A river runs through it. The semiotics of Gobekli Tepe's map (an exercise of archaeological imagination)'';  in Andrea Vianello (ed.), ''Rivers in Prehistory'', Oxford, Archaeopress</ref>

==Importance==
[[File:T-shaped-pillars-PPN.jpg|thumb|left|upright=.8|Sites with similar 'T'-shaped pillars from the PPN]]
Göbekli Tepe is regarded by some as an archaeological discovery of great importance since it could profoundly change the understanding of a crucial stage in the development of human society. [[Ian Hodder]] of Stanford University said, "Göbekli Tepe changes everything".<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.newsweek.com/turkey-archeological-dig-reshaping-human-history-75101 |title=Turkey: Archeological dig reshaping human history |date=18 February 2010 |magazine=Newsweek}}</ref> If indeed the site was built by [[hunter-gatherer]]s as some researchers believe then it would mean that the ability to erect monumental complexes was within the capacities of these sorts of groups, which would overturn previous assumptions. Some researchers believe that the construction of Göbekli Tepe may have contributed to the later development of urban civilization, or, as excavator Klaus Schmidt put it, "''First came the temple, then the city''."<ref>K. Schmidt 2000: "Zuerst kam der Tempel, dann die Stadt."</ref>

[[File:Fertile crescent Neolithic B circa 7500 BC.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|Area of the [[fertile crescent]], circa 7500&nbsp;BCE, with main sites. Göbekli Tepe is one of the important sites of the [[Pre-Pottery Neolithic]] period. The area of [[Mesopotamia]] proper at this time was not yet settled by humans.]]
In addition to its large dimensions, the side-by-side existence of multiple pillar shrines makes the location unique. There are no comparable monumental complexes from its time. Since its discovery, however, surface surveys have shown that several hills in the greater area also have 'T'-shaped stone pillars (e.g. Hamzan Tepe,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://revije.ff.uni-lj.si/DocumentaPraehistorica/article/view/37.22/1714 |title=Hamzan Tepe in the light of new finds |last=Çelik |first=Bahattin |year=2010}}</ref> Karahan Tepe,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://revije.ff.uni-lj.si/DocumentaPraehistorica/article/view/38.19/1651 |title=Karahan Tepe: A new cultural centre in the Urfa area in Turkey |last=Çelik |first=Bahattin |year=2011}}</ref> Harbetsuvan Tepesi,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://revije.ff.uni-lj.si/DocumentaPraehistorica/article/view/43.21 |title=A small-scale cult centre in southeast Turkey: Harbetsuvan Tepesi |last=Çelik |first=Bahattin}}</ref> Sefer Tepe,<ref name=":1">{{cite web |url=http://dergiler.ankara.edu.tr/dergiler/14/1790/18894.pdf|title=New pre-pottery neolithic settlements from Viranşehir District |last=Güler |first=Çelik}}</ref> and Taslı Tepe<ref name=":2">{{cite web |url=https://revije.ff.uni-lj.si/DocumentaPraehistorica/article/view/40.23/817 |title=New Pre-Pottery Neolithic sites and cult centres in the Urfa Region |last=Güler |first=Çelik |year=2013}}</ref>) but little excavation has been conducted.

Most of these constructions seem to be smaller than Göbekli Tepe, and their placement evenly between contemporary settlements indicates that they were local social-ritual gathering places,<ref name=":1"/><ref name=":2"/> with Göbekli Tepe perhaps as a regional centre.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C-ysw2gdT9IC&pg=PA110&lpg=PA110&dq=Urfa-Yeni+Yol#v=onepage |title=The Neolithic Revolution in the Near East: Transforming the human landscape |last=Simmons |first=Alan H. |date=15 April 2011 |website=University of Arizona Press |via=Google Books |isbn=9780816501274}}</ref> So far none of the smaller sites are so old as the lowest Level&nbsp;III of Göbekli Tepe,<ref name=":2"/> but contemporary with its younger Level&nbsp;II (mostly rectangular buildings, though Harbetsuvan is circular). This could indicate that this type of architecture and associated activities originated at Göbekli Tepe, and then spread to other sites.{{Citation needed|date=August 2017}}

A site that is 500&nbsp;years younger is [[Nevalı Çori]], a Neolithic settlement. It was excavated by the [[German Archaeological Institute]] and has been submerged by the [[Atatürk Dam]] since 1992. Its 'T'-shaped pillars are considerably smaller, and its rectangular ceremonial structure was located inside a village. The roughly contemporary architecture at [[Jericho]] is devoid of artistic merit or large-scale sculpture, and [[Çatalhöyük]], perhaps the most famous [[Anatolian]] Neolithic village, was built 2,000&nbsp;years later.

It remains unknown how a population large enough to construct, augment, and maintain such a substantial complex was mobilized and compensated or fed in the conditions of pre-sedentary society. Scholars have been unable to interpret the pictograms, and do not know what meaning the animal reliefs had for visitors to the site. The variety of [[fauna]] depicted – from lions and boars to birds and insects – makes any single explanation problematic. As there is little or no evidence of habitation, and many of the animals pictured are predators, the stones may have been intended to [[Apotropaic magic|stave off evils]] through some form of magic representation. Alternatively, they could have served as [[totem]]s.<ref>Peters & Schmidt (2004), pp. 209–212</ref>

The assumption that the site was strictly cultic in purpose and not inhabited has been challenged as well by the suggestion that the structures served as large communal houses, "similar in some ways to the large plank houses of the Northwest Coast of North America with their impressive house posts and [[Totem pole|totem poles]]."<ref>Banning (2011)</ref> It is not known why every few decades the existing pillars were buried to be replaced by new stones as part of a smaller, concentric ring inside the older one.<ref>Mann (June 2011), p. 48</ref>

Human burials may have occurred at the site. The reason the complex was carefully backfilled remains unexplained. Based on current evidence, it is difficult to deduce anything certain about the originating culture or the site's significance.

==Conservation==
Future plans include construction of a museum and converting the environs into an [[archaeological park]], in the hope that this will help preserve the site in the state in which it was discovered.<ref>K. Schmidt in Schmidt (ed.) 2009, p. 188.</ref>

In 2010, [[Global Heritage Fund]] (GHF) announced it will undertake a multi-year conservation program to preserve Göbekli Tepe. Partners include the [[German Archaeological Institute]], [[German Research Foundation]], [[Şanlıurfa]] Municipal Government, the Turkish Ministry of Tourism and Culture and, formerly, Klaus Schmidt.<ref>"GHF - Göbekli Tepe - Turkey", globalheritagefund.org, web: [http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/preservation_by_design_partnerships/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey GHF2] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110705232017/http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/preservation_by_design_partnerships/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey |date=5 July 2011 }}.</ref>

The stated goals of the GHF Göbekli Tepe project are to support the preparation of a site management and conservation plan, construction of a shelter over the exposed archaeological features, training community members in guiding and conservation, and helping Turkish authorities secure UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]] designation for GT.<ref name="GHF">"GHF – Gobekli Tepe, Turkey – Overview"; globalheritagefund.org: [http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey ''GHF3'']</ref>

[[File:Göbekli Tepe site (2).JPG|thumb|right|upright=1|Göbekli Tepe]]

The conservation work caused controversy in 2018, when Çiğdem Köksal Schmidt, an archaeologist and widow of Klaus Schmidt, said the site was being damaged by the use of concrete and "heavy equipment" during the construction of a new walkway. The [[Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Turkey)|Ministry of Culture and Tourism]] responded that no concrete was used and that no damage had occurred.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://ahvalnews.com/turkey/concrete-poured-turkish-world-heritage-site|title=Concrete poured on Turkish World Heritage site|date=21 March 2018|work=Ahval|access-date=2018-03-26|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/construction-around-site-of-gobeklitepe-stirs-debate-129089|title=Construction around site of Göbeklitepe stirs debate|date=21 March 2018|website=Hürriyet Daily News|language=en|access-date=2018-03-26}}</ref>

==Construction==
Göbekli Tepe follows a geometric pattern. The pattern is an [[equilateral triangle]] that connects enclosures A, B, and D. This means that the people who built Göbekli Tepe had at least some rudimentary knowledge of geometry.<ref>{{Cite news|last=David|first=Ariel|date=2020-04-28|title=Israeli Archaeologists Find Hidden Pattern at 'World's Oldest Temple' Göbekli Tepe|language=en|work=Haaretz|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israeli-archaeologists-find-hidden-pattern-at-gobekli-tepe-1.8799837|access-date=2020-05-13}}</ref> The authors of the paper discuss the implications of their findings. The authors suggest that enclosures A, B, and D are all one complex, and within this complex there is a "hierarchy" with enclosure D at the top. The authors also say that, compared to previous estimations, the amount of manpower required to build Göbekli Tepe should be multiplied by three. Third, the idea that each enclosure was built and functioned individually seems less likely — at least in planning and their early stages — given their findings. But they maintain that their suggestions that enclosures A, B, and D being a single complex makes it unlikely that each enclosure was built separately.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Haklay|first1=Gil|last2=Gopher|first2=Avi|date=May 2020|title=Geometry and Architectural Planning at Göbekli Tepe, Turkey|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/cambridge-archaeological-journal/article/geometry-and-architectural-planning-at-gobekli-tepe-turkey/2CBAF416E33AFE6496B73710A2F42FF9|journal=Cambridge Archaeological Journal|language=en|publication-date=May 2020|volume=30|issue=2|pages=343–357|doi=10.1017/S0959774319000660|issn=0959-7743|via=|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Relative chronology==
<center>{{Neolithic Chronology|era=BCE}}</center>

==See also==
*[[Gürcütepe]]
*[[List of archaeological sites by continent and age]]
*[[List of largest monoliths]]
*[[Natufian culture]]
*[[Prehistoric religion]]

{{World Heritage Sites in Turkey}}
{{Former settlements in Turkey}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
* Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe (ed.): "Vor 12.000 Jahren in Anatolien. Die ältesten Monumente der Menschheit." ''Begleitbuch zur Ausstellung im Badischen Landesmuseum'' vom 20. Januar bis zum 17. Juni 2007. Theiss, Stuttgart, {{ISBN|978-3-8062-2072-8}}
* E. B. Banning, [https://www.scribd.com/doc/67961270/Gobekli-Tepe-temples-Ted-Banning-2011 "So Fair a House: Göbekli Tepe and the Identification of Temples in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic of the Near East"], ''Current Anthropology'', 52.5 (October 2011), 619 ff.:
* Andrew Curry, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120415112503/http://80.251.40.59/veterinary.ankara.edu.tr/fidanci/Yasam/Gelecege_Miras/Gobekli-Tepe.pdf "Seeking the Roots of Ritual"], ''Science'' 319 (18 January 2008), pp.&nbsp;278–280:
* Andrew Curry, "Göbekli Tepe: The World’s First Temple?". ''[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]]'' (November 2008): http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/gobekli-tepe.html
* DVD-ROM: MediaCultura (Hrsg.): ''Vor 12.000 Jahren in Anatolien. Die ältesten Monumente der Menschheit.'' Theiss, Stuttgart 2007, {{ISBN|978-3-8062-2090-2}}
* Kent Flannery and Joyce Marcus, ''The Creation of Inequality'' (Cambridge and London, 2012), pp.&nbsp;128–131.
* David Lewis-Williams and David Pearce, "An Accidental revolution? Early Neolithic religion and economic change", ''Minerva'', 17 #4 (July/August, 2006), 29–31.
* Klaus-Dieter Linsmeier and Klaus Schmidt: "Ein anatolisches Stonehenge". In: ''Moderne Archäologie.'' Spektrum-der-Wissenschaft-Verlag, Heidelberg 2003, 10–15, {{ISBN|3-936278-35-0}}.
* Charles C. Mann, "The Birth of Religion: The World's First Temple" ''National Geographic'' Vol. 219 No. 6 (June 2011), pp.&nbsp;34–59: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/gobekli-tepe/mann-text
* Steven Mithen, ''After the Ice:A global human history, 20,000–5000 BC''. Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA, 2004, {{ISBN|0-674-01570-3}}. pp.&nbsp;65–69, 89–90.
* J. Peters & K. Schmidt: "Animals in the symbolic world of Pre-Pottery Neolithic Göbekli Tepe, south-eastern Turkey: a preliminary assessment." Anthropozoologica 39.1 (2004), 179–218: https://web.archive.org/web/20110612061638/http://www.mnhn.fr/museum/front/medias/publication/10613_Peters.pdf.
* K. Pustovoytov: ''Weathering rinds at exposed surfaces of limestone at Göbekli Tepe''. In: ''Neo-lithics.'' Ex Oriente, Berlin 2000, 24–26 (14C-Dates)
* Erika Qasim: "The T-shaped monuments of Gobekli Tepe: Posture of the Arms". In: Chr. Sütterlin et al. (ed.): ''Art as Behaviour. An Ethological Approach to Visual and Verbal Art, Music and Architecture''. Oldenburg 2014, 252–272
* Sandra Scham, "The World's First Temple", ''Archaeology'' 61.6 (November/December 2008): http://www.archaeology.org/0811/abstracts/turkey.html
* K. Schmidt: "Frühneolithische Tempel. Ein Forschungsbericht zum präkeramischen Neolithikum Obermesopotamiens". In: ''Mitteilungen der deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft'' 130, Berlin 1998, 17–49, {{ISSN|0342-118X}}
* K. Schmidt: "Zuerst kam der Tempel, dann die Stadt." Vorläufiger Bericht zu den Grabungen am Göbekli Tepe und am Gürcütepe 1995–1999. ''Istanbuler Mitteilungen'' 50 (2000): 5–41.
* K. Schmidt, 2000a = Göbekli Tepe and the rock art of the Near East, ''TÜBA-AR'' 3 (2000): 1–14.
* K. Schmidt, 2000b = [http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/paleo_0153-9345_2000_num_26_1_4697 "Göbekli Tepe, Southeastern Turkey. A preliminary Report on the 1995–1999 Excavations."] In: ''Palèorient'' CNRS Ed., Paris 2000: 26.1, 45–54, {{ISSN|0153-9345}}:
* K. Schmidt: ''Sie bauten die ersten Tempel. Das rätselhafte Heiligtum der Steinzeitjäger''. Verlag C.H. Beck, München 2006, {{ISBN|3-406-53500-3}}.
* K. Schmidt, "Göbekli Tepe. Eine Beschreibung der wichtigsten Befunde erstellt nach den Arbeiten der Grabungsteams der Jahre 1995–2007", in K. Schmidt (ed.), ''Erste Tempel – Frühe Siedlungen. 12000 Jahre Kunst und Kultur, Ausgrabungen und Forschungen zwischen Donau und Euphrat'', (Oldenburg 2009): 187–233.
* K. Schmidt, "Göbekli Tepe—the Stone Age Sanctuaries: New results of ongoing excavations with a special focus on sculptures and high reliefs," ''Documenta Praehistorica'' XXXVII (2010), 239–256: https://web.archive.org/web/20120131114925/http://arheologija.ff.uni-lj.si/documenta/authors37/37_21.pdf
* Metin Yeşilyurt, "Die wissenschaftliche Interpretation von Göbeklitepe: Die Theorie und das Forschungsprogramm". (''Neolithikum und ältere Metallzeiten. Studien und Materialien'', Band 2.) Lit Verlag, Berlin 2014, {{ISBN|978-3-643-12528-6}}.
* {{Megalithic Portal|14968}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Göbekli Tepe}}
* {{Official website|http://www.dainst.org/projekt/-/project-display/21890}}
* [http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey Göbekli Tepe preservation project summary] by [[Global Heritage Fund]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110424014044/http://ghn.globalheritagefund.org/?id=1327 Explore Göbekli Tepe with Google Earth] on [[Global Heritage Network]]
* [https://www.dainst.blog/the-tepe-telegrams/ "Tepe Telegrams: News & Notes from the Göbekli Tepe Research Staff"]. (Official blog, providing frequent updates on the progress of excavations, current interpretations of excavation results, and information on publications and events.)
* [https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/gobekli-tepe-5a4d25c355ff48d59ab76c36812b9cf3] 3D model

===Articles===
* {{cite web |url= http://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/gobekli-tepe-sirius-04092013/ |title= World's oldest temple probably built to worship the dog star, Sirius
|first= Mihai |last= Andreit |date= Sep 4, 2013 |publisher= ZME Science }}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/12/19/111219fa_fact_batuman?currentPage=all |work= The New Yorker |at= Dept of Archeology |date= Dec 19, 2011 |title= The Sanctuary |first= Elif |last= Batuman }}
* {{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/apr/23/archaeology.turkey |newspaper= The Guardian |date= 23 April 2008 |title= 7,000 years older than Stonehenge: the site that stunned archaeologists |first= Nicholas |last= Birch }}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/gobekli-tepe.html |title= Gobekli Tepe: The World's First Temple? |first= Andrew |last= Curry |date= Nov 2008 |work= [[Smithsonian Mag]] }}
* {{cite journal |title= Cereal Processing at Early Neolithic Göbekli Tepe, Southeastern Turkey |display-authors=etal |first= Laura |last= Dietrich |date= 2019 |journal= PLOS ONE |volume = 14|issue = 5|pages = e0215214|doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0215214|pmid = 31042741|pmc = 6493732}}
* {{cite web |url= http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/print/2011/06/gobekli-tepe/mann-text |work= National Geographic |date= June 2011 |title= The Birth of Religion |first= Charles C. |last= Mann }}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.archaeology.org/0811/abstracts/turkey.html |title= The World's First Temple |volume= 61 |issue= 6 |date= Nov 2008 |first= Sandra |last= Scham |work=Archaeology }}
* {{cite magazine |url= http://www.newsweek.com/id/233844 |date= Feb 18, 2010 |title= Turkey: Archeological Dig Reshaping Human History |first= Patrick |last= Symmes |magazine= [[Newsweek]] }}
* [https://ahotcupofjoe.net/2020/02/buzzwords-bogeymen-and-banalities-of-pseudoarchaeology-gobekli-tepe-2/ Buzzwords, Bogeymen, and Banalities of Pseudoarchaeology: Göbekli Tepe]

===Photographs===
* {{cite magazine |url= http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/gobekli-tepe/musi-photography |title= The Birth of Religion |magazine= National Geographic |date= June 2011 }}

===Videos===
* [http://gobeklitepe.info/worldsfirsttemple-com-the-movie-on-gobeklitepe.html Gobeklitepe: The World's First Temple], documentary film
* {{YouTube|NK_hfylYH-w|Göbekli Tepe Reconstructed}} Mar 23, 2009. 3d walkthrough
* {{YouTube|r8DOjnZu8H4|RIR-Klaus Schmidt-Göbekli Tepe-The Worlds Oldest Temple?}} Jan 8, 2011. Interview with principal excavator

{{Ancient settlements in Turkey}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Turkey}}
{{Middle Eastern megaliths}}
{{Prehistoric technology|architecture|state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gobekli Tepe}}
[[Category:10th-millennium BC establishments]]
[[Category:1963 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Southeastern Anatolia]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites of prehistoric Anatolia]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Şanlıurfa Province]]
[[Category:History of Şanlıurfa Province]]
[[Category:Lost ancient cities and towns]]
[[Category:Megalithic monuments in the Middle East]]
[[Category:Neolithic]]
[[Category:Prehistoric art in Turkey]]
[[Category:Tells (archaeology)]]
[[Category:Wikipedia articles containing unlinked shortened footnotes]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Turkey]]