Ayanlar Höyük

Gre Hut · Aynalar Höyük (Chiba Tech spelling)

Being excavatedNot open to visitors

Possibly the largest of the big three survey-known centres (about 140 decares), and the site the Minister says was occupied longest. A long-term Japanese project started in 2025 with a ceremony led by Princess Akiko.

Visiting

Not open to visitors

Excavation just starting.

Source: AA 2026-04-30 · checked 19 Oct 2026

Dating

Early to mid PPNB (survey); possibly earlier layers

Phase: PPN

Source: Çelik 2017 (Documenta Praehistorica 44); Çelik (TTK)

Discovery

Published 2017 by Bahattin Çelik

Source: Çelik 2017

Excavation

Being excavatedRecorded as: ongoing excavation (launched 19 Sep 2025)

Chiba Institute of Technology with the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology (MECCJ)

Key finds

  1. Decorated stone vessels with animal motifs, stone plates, grinders (survey)

    Çelik 2017

  2. Pillar sockets; a probable large cult centre covering about 140 decares

    Çelik (TTK)

Where

Karaköprü (Şanlıurfa)

District level only. We don’t publish coordinates or directions to excavation and survey sites.

Field Log · 2 entries

  1. ExcavationJapanese team for Ayanlar Höyük and first Chinese team for Yoğunburç announced
  2. ExcavationAyanlar Höyük excavation launched with Japan’s Princess Akiko

Open these in the Field Log

Sources · 4

  1. A new Pre-Pottery Neolithic site in Southeastern Turkey: Ayanlar Höyük (Gre Hut) (B. Çelik), Documenta Praehistorica 44University of Ljubljana · 2017
  2. Şanlıurfa İli Neolitik Dönem Yüzey Araştırması Sonucunda Ortaya Çıkan Yeni Bilgi ve Bulgular (B. Çelik)Türk Tarih Kurumu (PDF) · c. 2020-2022
  3. Princess Akiko of Mikasa attends ceremony for launch of new excavation project (Ayanlar Höyük)Chiba Institute of Technology · 24 Oct 2025
  4. Japonlar ‘Ayanlar’da, Çinliler ‘Yoğunburç’ kazısında Neolitik çağın izini sürecekAnadolu Agency · 30 Apr 2026