Sites · Taş Tepeler atlas

The Taş Tepeler, site by site.

44 Neolithic places around Şanlıurfa: the twelve on the Ministry’s current list, one drowned by a dam, and 31 known only from field survey. What has been dug, what you can visit, and who says so. Districts only; we publish no coordinates.

Sites
44
Being dug
11
Open to visit
1 + 1 disputed
Last checked
The atlas How many are there?
§ 01The atlas

44 sites, one table.

Only Göbekli Tepe is listed open without a dispute. For today’s hours and tickets, use the board.

status
visiting

Showing all 44 sites

All 44 sites, with excavation status, period, district, whether you can visit, and the number of Field Log entries
PeriodDistrict
01 Göbekli TepeGöbeklitepe Largely excavated PPNA–PPNB Haliliye Yes 26
02 Karahan TepeKarahantepe Being excavated PPNA–PPNB Not stated Disputed 19
03 Sayburç Being excavated late PPNA – early PPNB Karaköprü inferred Planned 7
04 Sefer TepeSefertepe Being excavated PPNB Viranşehir No 3
05 Harbetsuvan Tepesi Being excavated PPNB Eyyübiye inferred No 1
06 Çakmak TepeÇakmaktepe Being excavated earliest PPNA Eyyübiye No 2
07 Gürcütepe Being excavated LPPNB–PN Haliliye inferred No 1
08 Yeni Mahalle / Balıklıgöl HöyüğüŞanlıurfa-Yeni Mahalle Rescue dig PPNA/PPNB Eyyübiye/Haliliye No 3
09 Söğüt Tarlası – Biris Mezarlığı Being excavated PPNB (+ others) Bozova No 2
10 Mendik TepeMendiktepe Being excavated PPNA Eyyübiye No 3
11 Ayanlar Höyük Being excavated PPN Karaköprü No 2
12 Yoğunburç Being excavated PPN (unconfirmed) Karaköprü No 2
13 Nevalı Çori Flooded PPNB Formerly Hilvan area No 2
14 Hamzan TepeHamzantepe Survey only PPN Eyyübiye inferred No –
15 Kurt TepesiKurttepesi Survey only PPN(B) Central Şanlıurfa No 1
16 Taşlı TepeTaşlıtepe Survey only PPN(B) Not stated No 1
17 Tepehan Höyük Survey only PPN Not stated No –
18 Kilisik Single find PPN Kâhta No –
19 İnanlı Tepesi Survey only PPN Not stated No –
20 Kocanizam Tepesi Survey only PPN Viranşehir area No –
21 Başaran Höyük Survey only PPN Viranşehir area No –
22 Herzo Tepe Survey only PPN Viranşehir area No –
23 Guhera Abid Mevkii (Selamet) Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
24 Selamet Kuzey Mevkii Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
25 Selamet Kuzey Höyüğü Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
26 Çamçak Tepesi Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
27 Terzi Köyü Batı Mevkii Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
28 Sıluba Tepesi Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
29 Aşağı Yazıcı Güney Mevkii Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
30 Mınzilit Feriş Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
31 Mınzilit Hıleyil Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
32 Mınzilit İsa Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
33 Karakuş Kuzeybatı Mevkii Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
34 İkizce Güney Höyüğü Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
35 Çillo Mevkii 1 Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
36 Çillo Mevkii 2 Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
37 Curna Henzir Tepesi Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
38 Vari Nebi Mevkii Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
39 Kızılburç Ömer Altundağ Tarlası Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
40 Sırtki Hesey Mevkii Survey only PPN (broad) Central Şanlıurfa No –
41 Bademli Survey only PPN Eyyübiye/Karaköprü area inferred No –
42 Borbore Survey only PPN Eyyübiye/Karaköprü area inferred No –
43 Gotik Tepesi Survey only PPN Eyyübiye/Karaköprü area inferred No –
44 Nergislik Survey only PPN Eyyübiye/Karaköprü area inferred No –
Largely excavatedBeing excavatedRescue digFloodedSingle findSurvey only“Log” counts Field Log entries about the site. Status is our grouping of each site’s recorded excavation status; the exact wording is on its page.
§ 02The count

How many Taş Tepeler sites are there?

No single official total exists. The Ministry has used 12 since the 2021 launch, and on 17 Sep 2026 Minister Ersoy said the total is 20 (12 announced plus 8 unannounced). Survey literature records many more Neolithic findspots; no official source gives ‘40+’.

Official and press counts

  1. Sep 2021

    12

    7 active + 5 planned = 12 (2021–2024 phase)

    Active: Göbeklitepe, Karahantepe, Gürcütepe, Sayburç, Çakmaktepe, Sefertepe, Yeni Mahalle. Planned: Ayanlar, Yoğunburç, Harbetsuvan, Kurttepesi, Taşlıtepe.

    GoTürkiye / TGA press release · Sep 2021

  2. 30 Sep 2023

    9

    9 archaeological areas worked in 2023

    T.C. Ministry of Culture and Tourism press office · 30 Sep 2023

  3. 6 Oct 2025

    10

    2025 excavations at 10 separate areas

    Anadolu Agency · 6 Oct 2025

  4. 26 Nov 2025

    12

    12 points (5th anniversary)

    Göbeklitepe, Karahantepe, Sayburç, Sefertepe, Harbetsuvan, Çakmaktepe, Yenimahalle, Söğüt Tarlası, Mendiktepe, Yoğunburç, Gürcütepe, Ayanlar. Kurt Tepesi and Taşlı Tepe dropped; Mendik and Söğüt Tarlası added.

    Şanlıurfa Valiliği (Governorship) · 27 Nov 2025

  5. 30 Apr 2026

    36

    36 institutions (15 Turkish, 21 foreign); about 200 archaeologists in 2025

    Anadolu Agency · 30 Apr 2026

  6. 9 Aug 2026

    12

    12 Neolithic sites (AA list, same names as Nov 2025)

    Anadolu Agency · 9 Aug 2026

  7. 17 Sep 2026

    20

    20 = 12 announced + 8 not yet announced

    TGRT Haber · 17 Sep 2026

Survey literature

  1. 2015

    22

    22 Neolithic places examined in 2013–2015 surveys, 20 of them new (central district)

    Ardahan University via DergiPark · 2015

  2. c. 2020-2022

    7

    7 ‘small cult centres’ with T-pillars (Nevalı Çori, Yeni Mahalle, Hamzan Tepe, Sefer Tepe, Taşlı Tepe, Kurt Tepesi, Harbetsuvan) plus 3–4 large centres (Göbekli, Karahan, Ayanlar, Tepehan); 13 desert-kite trap areas

    Türk Tarih Kurumu (PDF) · c. 2020-2022

  3. Feb 2025

    307

    307 desert kites around the Harran Plain

    Antiquity (Cambridge University Press) · Feb 2025

This atlas: 44

  • 12 on the Nov 2025 list of 12
  • 1 flooded: Nevalı Çori
  • 31 known from survey or a single find

“40+” only works if you count survey findspots and the wider region. That is how this list reaches 44: 31 entries are known only from field survey or a single find, most of them cited to Güler & Çelik (2015), and Kilisik lies outside Şanlıurfa province. No official source gives “40+”.

Where the counts disagree

  • Yoğunburç is counted as active in Nov 2025 but was first dug in July 2026.
  • ‘12 sites’ sometimes means 12 active digs and sometimes 12 named sites. Lists swap Kurt Tepesi and Taşlı Tepe for Mendik and Söğüt Tarlası.
  • The ‘8 unannounced sites’ have no names or locations published.
  • We could not verify ‘Göllüce’ or ‘Tirmi’ as PPN sites in any source; they are omitted.