Sayburç

Being excavatedPlanned, not open yet

A Neolithic village lying under a living village, where T-pillars stand inside ordinary houses as well as communal buildings. It is famous for the relief panel, the first Neolithic image that tells a story with figures that interact, and is planned to become an open-air museum.

On the live board

Not open yet – plannedchecked 18 Oct 2026

Do not travel there expecting a visit.

Hours, tickets and status

Visiting

Planned, not open yet

Open-air museum plus a village museum announced 19 Aug 2026; no date or arrangements published.

Source: AA 2026-08-19 · checked 19 Oct 2026

Dating

9th millennium BC; about 8600–8300 BC; about 300 years of continuous use

Phase: late PPNA – early PPNB

Source: Antiquity 2022; AA 2025-09-01; Hürriyet 2025

Discovery

May 2021 (T-pillars noticed in village garden walls)

Source: tastepeler.org

Excavation

Being excavatedRecorded as: ongoing excavation

Istanbul University (Assoc. Prof. Eylem Özdoğan) with the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum; 6th season in 2026

Key finds

  1. 3.7 m bench relief, the ‘earliest narrative scene’ (leopards, bull, ithyphallic men)

    Antiquity 2022

  2. More than 50 buildings (2025), about 70 structures over 2,700 m² (2026); T-pillars inside houses

    AA 2025-09-01; AA 2026-08-19

  3. ‘Stitched-mouth’ statue linked to death ritual (2025)

    Şanlıurfa Valiliği 2025-11-27; Hürriyet

Where

Karaköprü (Şanlıurfa) inferred

Inferred from the project’s supporter list.

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

Field Log · 7 entries

  1. PolicyPlan to turn Sayburç into an open-air museum and village museum
  2. DiscoveryTaş Tepeler 5th anniversary: 30 new finds shown, including a ‘stitched-mouth’ statue
  3. ExcavationSayburç: more than 50 Neolithic buildings, T-pillars inside ordinary houses
  4. Research paperDisputedSweatman paper claims Pillar 43’s V-symbols are a 365-day lunisolar calendar
  5. Research paperSayburç relief published in Antiquity as the earliest known narrative scene
  6. PolicyTaş Tepeler (Şanlıurfa Neolithic Research Project) launched
  7. DiscoverySayburç: Neolithic pillars spotted re-used in village garden walls

Open these in the Field Log

Sources · 4

  1. Sayburç (site page, text by E. Özdoğan)Taş Tepeler project site, T.C. Ministry of Culture and Tourism
  2. The Sayburç reliefs: a narrative scene from the Neolithic (E. Özdoğan)Antiquity (Cambridge University Press) · 8 Dec 2022
  3. Şanlıurfa’daki Sayburç’ta 50’den fazla neolitik yapı gün yüzüne çıkarıldıAnadolu Agency · 1 Sep 2025
  4. Sayburç’ta açık hava müzesi kurulacakAnadolu Agency · 19 Aug 2026