Karahan Tepe

Karahan Tepe

Shown within Turkey Karahan Tepe (Near East) Karahan Tepe (Eastern Mediterranean)
Location	Karahan Tepe, Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey
Coordinates	37°05′31″N 39°18′05″E
History
Founded	Pre-10th millennium BC
Periods	Pre-Pottery Neolithic A to B

Karahantepe is an archaeological site in Şanlıurfa Province in Turkey. Recent evidence suggests it may be older than Göbekli Tepe. The site is close to Göbekli Tepe and archaeologists have also uncovered T-shaped stele there. According to Daily Sabah, "The excavations have uncovered 250 obelisks featuring animal figures to date."

The ancient structures at Karahan Tepe were discovered in 1997 by "researchers near the Kargalı neighborhood in the Tek Tek Mountains National Park."

The site is located near Yağmurlu and roughly 35 kilometers east of Göbekli Tepe, and is often called the sister site of Göbekli Tepe. It is part of the Göbeklitepe Culture and Karahantepe Excavations project, and surveys were initiated two years ago by Istanbul University. The area is known as “Keçilitepe” by local people.

Necmi Karul, an archeologist at Istanbul University, told Anadolu Agency in 2019, “Last year, excavation work restarted in Karahantepe [Kectepe] – around 60 km from where Gobeklitepe is located – and we encountered traces of special structures, obelisks, animal sculptures, and descriptions as well as similar symbolism”.