Göbekli Tepe enclosures deliberately buried around 8000 BC with more still underground. Located in southeastern Turkey, dating back more than 11,000 years Considered the world's oldest known monumental temple complex, built before Stonehenge Excavations began in the 1990s; only a small portion of the site uncovered
Gobekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey, dating back over 11,000 years, predates Stonehenge as the world's oldest known monumental temple. Around 8000 BC, its builders deliberately filled enclosures with thousands of cubic meters of stone, soil, and debris. LiDAR and geophysical surveys have revealed dozens of buried circular and rectangular structures, most left unexcavated. 🏺
Key Facts
- Located in southeastern Turkey, dating back more than 11,000 years
- Considered the world's oldest known monumental temple complex, built before Stonehenge
- Excavations began in the 1990s; only a small portion of the site uncovered
- Around 8,000 BC, builders deliberately filled enclosures with thousands of cubic meters of stone, soil, animal bones, and debris
- LiDAR scans and geophysical surveys have revealed dozens of buried circular and rectangular anomalies extending beyond excavated monuments
- Archaeologists have chosen not to excavate most of these buried enclosures
Related site: Göbekli Tepe — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: 9 Ancient Sites Permanently SEALED or Unexcavated by Universe Inside You