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Ancient Architects #History and Archaeology

Was the 12.000-Year-Old Göbekli Tepe Really a Temple?

The most famous site of Pre-Pottery Neolithic Turkey is of course Göbekli Tepe, an enormous hilltop site situated to the east of Sanliurfa and made up of a number of spectacular enclosures, mainly circular or oval in shape and having dozens of decorated T-shaped pillars.

ut what actually is Göbekli Tepe? We know that media stories have often called it: “The Oldest Temple in the World” and I know that detractors often scoff at such an idea, not just with regards to Göbekli Tepe, but to many ancient structures, with responses like “if archaeologists don’t know what it is, it’s always a tomb or a temple.”


But in actual fact, the archaeologists of Göbekli Tepe are more reserved in their classification of the site, it’s the media that writes the soundbite: “the oldest temple in the world” because it’s hard to define exactly what the site is and such a phrase sells a story or a documentary. It makes people click a link or watch a video.


So is “temple” the right word to use? Is Göbekli Tepe really the world's largest "temple"? In this video I explore the purpose of this truly incredible and ancient Pre-Pottery Neolithic site built 11.500 years ago.


All images are taken from Google Images and Google Earth for educational purposes only.

Matt Sibson
ancient-architects