Göbeklitepe is perhaps the most known and speculated archaeological site since it was discovered in the 1990s, and constant new excavations are ongoing today. It is located about 20 km Northeast of Şanlıurfa region. The colossal anthropomorphic statues are extraordinary for this period of mankind which dates to 11.000- 12.000 BC. Before Göbeklitepe, the known history of Neolithic period was estimated only to 9000 BC. However, the colossal statues and several reliefs on the statues are unique for this period. It is understood that Göbeklitepe was kind of a shrine, consists of round shaped chambers, each containing these God-like colossal statues. According to some scholars, this is a cult area where rituals were performed on behalf of the underworld, for the sake of ancestor cults. There are no daily used ceramics indicating any signs of settlement here. Nevertheless, this widespread excavation carried out around the Göbeklitepe vicinity recalls a very sophisticated and organized society inhabited in the area. Surprisingly, the Göbeklitepe shrines were not buried by natural causes, but, were buried by the people who lived here on purpose, the reason remains as a mystery. Recent surveys in the area showed that there are several similar shrines / structures in the area from the same period.
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