Interesting Old Times Past: Göbekli Tepe, Turkey: Probably the World's Oldest Temple

Located in Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey, Göbekli Tepe (translates to "potbelly hill" in Turkish) is a Neolithic archaeological site built about 11,000 to 12,000 years ago. Some parts seem to be even older.

Gobekli Tepe is the oldest man-made temple of worship yet discovered and it pre-dates pottery in the Middle East.

German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt discovered the more than 20 circular stone enclosures in 1994.

Evidence indicates that the inhabitants of the area were hunter-gatherers, as there were no signs of domesticated grain. The people, however, may have lived in villages for at least part of the year.

The huge piles of animal bones seem to indicate that many people of the area came together to indulge in huge feasts.

Laura Dietrich, of the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin, also discovered that vat-fulls of porridge and stew, made from grain, were eaten.

In the "garden" area, there were more than 10,000 grinding stones, close to 650 carved stone platters and vessels, some of which could hold 200 litres of liquid.

The climate of the area was warmer and wetter at the time that Göbekli Tepe was occupied, with open steppe grassland, with wild cereals growing in the area.

As of 2021, less than 5% of the site has been excavated.

Göbekli Tepe, Turkey