Karahan Tepe: Only 6,000 of 120,000 sq m Excavated. Only approximately 6,000 square meters have been excavated Site is estimated to be 120,000 square meters in total area Multiple layers of occupation show long-term continuous use
Karahan Tepe is vast—only about 5% of its estimated 120,000 square meters has been excavated so far. Multiple occupation layers show long-term continuous use at this Pre-Pottery Neolithic site, which sits at the end of the last ice age. Part of a broader cultural system extending across southeastern Turkey into Syria and the Levant, excavations continue in 2026.
Key Facts
- Only approximately 6,000 square meters have been excavated
- Site is estimated to be 120,000 square meters in total area
- Multiple layers of occupation show long-term continuous use
- Excavations continue in 2026
- Karahan Tepe is part of a broader cultural system extending across southeastern Turkey into Syria and the Levant
- The settlement dates to the end of the last ice age - a key transition period climatically and socially
Related site: Karahan Tepe — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: NEW DISCOVERY | Karahan Tepe Reveals 12,000-Year-Old Diet by Ancient Architects