Recent studies conducted at Karahan Tepe, 40 kilometers away from Göbekli Tepe, indicate that it might predate the latter, possibly even going back beyond the 10th millennium BCE. This ancient site, also deemed the "twin" site of Göbekli Tepe by certain non-specialist Turkish publications, is home to more than 250 weighty T-shaped megaliths, adorned with intricate animal figures.
First identified in 1997 by researchers in the Kargalı area of Tek Tek Mountains National Park, near Yağmurlu, Karahan Tepe has been a focal point of the Şanlıurfa culture artifact inventory project. Subsequent surface investigations were initiated in 2018 by Istanbul University under the "Göbekli Tepe Culture and Karahan Tepe Excavations" project.
The formal excavation work started in 2019, spearheaded by Necmi Karul, and led to the discovery of various artifacts, obelisks, and sculptures that share similarities with those found at Göbekli Tepe.
In a press conference held by state-run national agency Anadolu, Karul revealed that 12 other sites exhibiting the same characteristics as Göbekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe have been identified through topographical maps, geomagnetic measurements, and aerial photographs. He stated that these sites likely served both residential and religious purposes, representing settlements that spanned multiple periods of approximately 700-800 years, dating back to around 11500 BCE.
These findings are preliminary, yet they have opened the door to further exploration and potential archaeological projects that could shed more light on the mysteries surrounding Karahan Tepe.
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