Göbeklitepe prepares for key UNESCO
The officials are currently busy with completing a roof framing work on a 4,000-square-meter area, costing a total of 6.6 million euros, in an attempt to give the site a stronger protection.
Aslan said the site will be opened to visits back again once the construction is finished.
“We are sensitive with every step we take regarding Göbeklitepe since it has a driving force to attract tourists to nearby areas and the country in general means,” Aslan said.
Fevzi Demirol, mayor of the Haliliye district of Şanlıurfa, said the site is also important in terms of creating jobs for the younger generations.
“If Göbeklitepe is promoted sufficiently, it can become a center of attraction for history enthusiasts. It will accelerate and contribute to Turkish tourism. We are happy that this site, known as the ‘zero point of history,’ is nominated by the UNESCO World Heritage committee,” Demirol said.
Müslüm Çoban, the head of the local tourist guides’ chamber, described the site as the “world’s oldest known place of worship.”
“The UNESCO team will come to Şanlıurfa in September to do examinations in Göbeklitepe. I hope the roof framing work of the site will be finished by then. Göbeklitepe draws attention especially from foreign tourists, meaning more tourists will come to Şanlıurfa. As a result, our hotels will work on more capacity, tourist guides will go on more tours and our artisans will earn more.” Çoban said.
Until Göbeklitepe re-opens to its visitors, the imitations of the artifacts found in the excavations are being presented at the Şanlıurfa Museum Complex.
This year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has also inscribed the “Aphrodisias Archaeological Site” on the UNESCO World Heritage List upon Turkey’s nomination, which increased the number of properties on the Turkey UNESCO World Heritage List to 17.
The Göbeklitepe site is composed of approximately 20 round and oval structures. There are two T-shaped free-standing pillars with a length of five meters. Monumental structures of Göbeklitepe were deliberately filled with soil by the people of the Neolithic period who built them.
Aslan said the site will be opened to visits back again once the construction is finished.
“We are sensitive with every step we take regarding Göbeklitepe since it has a driving force to attract tourists to nearby areas and the country in general means,” Aslan said.
Fevzi Demirol, mayor of the Haliliye district of Şanlıurfa, said the site is also important in terms of creating jobs for the younger generations.
“If Göbeklitepe is promoted sufficiently, it can become a center of attraction for history enthusiasts. It will accelerate and contribute to Turkish tourism. We are happy that this site, known as the ‘zero point of history,’ is nominated by the UNESCO World Heritage committee,” Demirol said.
Müslüm Çoban, the head of the local tourist guides’ chamber, described the site as the “world’s oldest known place of worship.”
“The UNESCO team will come to Şanlıurfa in September to do examinations in Göbeklitepe. I hope the roof framing work of the site will be finished by then. Göbeklitepe draws attention especially from foreign tourists, meaning more tourists will come to Şanlıurfa. As a result, our hotels will work on more capacity, tourist guides will go on more tours and our artisans will earn more.” Çoban said.
Until Göbeklitepe re-opens to its visitors, the imitations of the artifacts found in the excavations are being presented at the Şanlıurfa Museum Complex.
This year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has also inscribed the “Aphrodisias Archaeological Site” on the UNESCO World Heritage List upon Turkey’s nomination, which increased the number of properties on the Turkey UNESCO World Heritage List to 17.
The Göbeklitepe site is composed of approximately 20 round and oval structures. There are two T-shaped free-standing pillars with a length of five meters. Monumental structures of Göbeklitepe were deliberately filled with soil by the people of the Neolithic period who built them.