Göbeklitepe Archaeological Site
/ By Josh
The worlds oldest known temple site, the discovery of Göbeklitepe altered the way we look at human settlement and the history of religion.
Situated in the north of Mesopotamia, the “cradle of civilization”, Urfa is home to some of humanity’s most ancient sites. With numerous neolithic sights such as Göbeklitepe and Nevalı Çori, Urfa holds clues to humanities earliest settlers. Urfa, known officially as Şanlıurfa, or “Glorious Urfa” is also closely tied to the ancient religious traditions of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims with sites traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Abraham, the tomb of the Prophet Job, as well as the tomb of the Prophet Elisha.
Adding to this already rich history the Roman and Medieval eras were filled with various peoples leaving their own mark on the character of the city. Romans, Arabs, Armenians, Turks, and even Crusaders claimed this territory at various times making it a colourful blend of cultures and overlapping histories.
To top it off Urfa is one of Turkey’s great food cities bringing the culinary traditions of the Arab world into the Turkish.