Monumental T-pillar enclosures near Şanlıurfa, built by hunter-gatherers roughly 9600–8200 BCE.
Graham Hancock (Magicians of the Gods, 2015) argues the sites preserve knowledge passed on by survivors of a lost Ice-Age civilisation destroyed in a Younger Dryas cataclysm.
Martin Sweatman & Dimitrios Tsikritsis (2017) read Pillar 43 (the "Vulture Stone") as a date-stamp recording a comet impact around 10,950 BCE.
The excavators (German Archaeological Institute) interpret the enclosures as the work of Pre-Pottery Neolithic foragers; no evidence of metal tools, writing or agriculture-based urbanism has been found.
Archaeologists have criticised the Vulture Stone astronomy reading as statistically weak and inconsistent with the site’s stratigraphy.
We present both views respectfully and link to the original work so you can judge for yourself.
Megalithomania · 16 Apr 2027 · 12 days
Megalithomania’s Armenia and southeast Turkey (Türkiye) tour with Andrew Collins, Hugh Newman and JJ Ainsworth: Armenian stone rows at Hartashen and Metsamor, the 223 standing stones of Karahunj (Zorats Karer), the Areni-1 cave, Garni and Geghard, then on to the Taş Tepeler sites of Göbekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe.
from $6,295 Travel Splendors · 15 May 2027 · 14 days
Istanbul to Göbekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe via Troy, Çatalhöyük, Cappadocia’s underground cities and Mount Nemrut, with two lectures and Q&A by Graham…
from $15,985 Archaeological Paths · 5 Jun 2027 · 14 days
Archaeological Paths’ 14-day Turkey tour: Istanbul, Troy, Ephesus, the underground cities and rock-cut churches of Cappadocia, Neolithic Çatalhöyük, the colossal heads on Mount Nemrut, and Göbekli Tepe as the highlight.
from $12,985 Andante Travels · 14 days
14-day archaeologist-led journey from Çatal Höyük through Cappadocia’s underground cities to Nemrut Dağ and Göbekli Tepe.
from $11,180 New Scientist Discovery Tours · 13 May 2027 · 12 days
12 days with archaeologist Dr Sinan Ünlüsoy from Istanbul to Çatalhöyük, Aşıklı Höyük, the Kaymaklı underground city, Hattusa, Şanlıurfa, Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe and Mount Nemrut (with Intrepid Travel).
from £4,895 New Scientist Discovery Tours · 8 Sept 2027 · 12 days
September departure of the 12-day Neolithic Turkey tour (Çatalhöyük, Cappadocia, Hattusa, Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe, Mount Nemrut). The accompanying expert is "to be confirmed shortly" per the operator.
from £4,895 Adept Expeditions · 2 Oct 2027 · 11 days
11 days with Matt Sibson (Ancient Architects) and Anyextee: Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe, Çatalhöyük, Mount Nemrut, the Cappadocian underground cities and Istanbul.
from $6,400 Far Horizons · 4 May 2027 · 16 days
Scholar-led 16-day tour of eastern Turkey (Türkiye) with classicist Dr Jennifer Tobin: Ani, Diyarbakır, Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe, Mount Nemrud and a private tour of Ayanis with its excavation director.
from $12,000 Eastern Turkey Tours · 13 Apr 2027 · 10 nights (11 days)
A 10-night small-group tour (2–12 people) that the operator calls a tour of the megalithic sites of Turkey: Neolithic Çatalhöyük, the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations in Ankara, the Hittite capital Hattuşa and the rock sanctuary of Yazılıkaya, the underground cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı in Cappadocia, Göbekli Tepe and its sister site Karahan Tepe, and the Commagene sanctuary on Mount Nemrut. Konya to Adıyaman with an English-speaking guide.
from $4,200 Eastern Turkey Tours · 14 Oct 2027 · 10 nights (11 days)
A 10-night small-group tour (2–12 people) that the operator calls a tour of the megalithic sites of Turkey: Neolithic Çatalhöyük, the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations in Ankara, the Hittite capital Hattuşa and the rock sanctuary of Yazılıkaya, the underground cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı in Cappadocia, Göbekli Tepe and its sister site Karahan Tepe, and the Commagene sanctuary on Mount Nemrut. Konya to Adıyaman with an English-speaking guide.
from $4,200 GetYourGuide · 1 day or less
Bookable day tour covering Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe. A good option for independent travellers who want a guide for the day.
from $122 · price unverified GetYourGuide · 1 day or less
Bookable day tour covering Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe. A good option for independent travellers who want a guide for the day.
from $671 · price unverified GetYourGuide · 1 day or less
Bookable day tour covering Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe. A good option for independent travellers who want a guide for the day.
from $900 · price unverified
26 Jun 2025 · Çatalhöyük & Anatolia, Turkey (Türkiye)
Genomes from early farming villages including Çatalhöyük shed light on household and kinship structure. The research highlights women’s lines in some communities.
Site guide: Göbekli Tepe & Karahan Tepe · Source: Science 2025 ↗
13 Jun 2025 · Göbekli Tepe, Turkey (Türkiye)
Marc Verhoeven interprets the carvings as a relational, animist world of beings, with emerging hierarchy.
Site guide: Göbekli Tepe & Karahan Tepe · Source: Verhoeven 2025, Cambridge Archaeological Journal ↗
25 Jul 2024 · Göbekli Tepe, Turkey (Türkiye)
Martin Sweatman argues V-shaped marks on Pillar 43 count days, forming a 365-day lunisolar calendar, and tie the carvings to the Younger Dryas onset.
Site guide: Göbekli Tepe & Karahan Tepe · Andrew Collins · Source: Sweatman 2024, Time and Mind ↗
6 Oct 2023 · Göbekli Tepe, Şanlıurfa, Turkey (Türkiye)
Excavators found a life-size limestone wild boar with red, black and white pigment, the first painted sculpture known from the site.
Site guide: Göbekli Tepe & Karahan Tepe · Andrew Collins · Source: Göbekli Tepe (Wikipedia) ↗
All discoveries for this site →
British author and former Economist correspondent whose books Fingerprints of the Gods, Magicians of the Gods and America Before argue for a lost Ice Age civilisation. He presented Netflix’s Ancient Apocalypse and hosts tours in Egypt, Turkey (Türkiye) and Peru/Bolivia in 2027.
British science and history writer focused on the origins of civilisation in Anatolia, the Younger Dryas and the Cygnus constellation. He co-leads Megalithomania tours to Turkey (Türkiye), Armenia and Egypt.
Geologist at Boston University best known for arguing that weathering of the Great Sphinx enclosure points to a far older origin than Khafre. He also writes on Göbekli Tepe, solar outbursts and the end of the last Ice Age.
Author researching what he calls the lost Ararat civilisation. He tracks recurring symbols and an “ancient code” across Peru, Anatolia, Egypt and Cambodia, collected in his Ancient Code Database.