Prehistoric world heritage site Gobekli Tepe survives Turkey earthquakes
Though Monday’s earthquakes destroyed several historic sites, some of the iconic historical heritage that is invaluable to science as well as Turkey’s economy has survived.
Two devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria only nine hours apart have killed more than 20,000 people and reduced tens of thousands of buildings to rubble, but two of Turkey’s iconic world heritage sites miraculously remain with little or no damage.
Gobekli Tepe, the world's oldest known place of worship, appears to be undamaged despite being a mere 10 miles from Sanliurfa, one of the 10 provinces affected by the 7.8-magnitude quake. With the oldest megalithic structures ever found, it dates to the 10th millennium BC and has been included in UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list since 2018. The site, which means “potbelly hill” in Turkish, consists of T-shaped pillars carved with drawings of animals, abstract symbols and human hands surrounded by smaller inward-facing pillars. The site and its state-of-the-art museum with holograms and videos draw in millions, contributing to the country’s tourism-reliant economy.
• 850,000 visitors in 2022
— ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) January 9, 2023
• 12,000-year-old site is dubbed ‘zero point of time’
• Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site
Gobeklitepe, ancient site in Türkiye, hosts record 850,000 visitorshttps://t.co/G3gjKq1ila pic.twitter.com/hNoPbDC3LM
A spokesperson for the UN cultural agency UNESCO told Al-Monitor, “According to a preliminary damage assessment undertaken by the national authorities, the World Heritage site of Gobekli Tepe does not seem to have been damaged.” Turkey’s Culture Ministry also confirmed Thursday that the site, which is among the top five touristic sites in Turkey despite being away from the usual mass-tourism destinations, remains standing.
