Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Gökhan Yazgı underlined the important place Şanlıurfa holds in cultural tourism, as the city is one of the leading tourist attractions in Türkiye.
He informed that there are 12 excavations conducted simultaneously in Şanlıurfa, and emphasized the significance of the Şanlıurfa Neolithic Age Research Project carried out in the city by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Yazgı emphasized that the Taş Tepeler Project, which includes Göbeklitepe and Karahantepe, can reshape the course of history, and said: "We have decided to accelerate the archeological excavations in Türkiye. We plan to accomplish in the next four years what has been done in the last 60 years."
"We have so far found a large number of unique cultural assets in the Karahantepe excavation that have not been encountered before. We have also discovered many structures, and they are currently being studied. With these scientific studies, we believe the number of cultural assets will increase exponentially in Karahantepe, Göbeklitepe, and in the other hills currently being excavated." he added.
Yazgı said that every artifact unearthed at Göbeklitepe and Karahantepe is of international significance, and that archaeology inherently involves encountering new findings every day. He noted that there is a high level of curiosity and expectation regarding these two key cultural destinations of Türkiye, and affirmed that scientists are meticulously and diligently pursuing new discoveries at the sites.
Yazgı further stated that scientific studies require significant effort, and added:
"Göbeklitepe and Karahantepe represent similar eras. They are two different structures that hold very different meanings, and the structures that will be discovered in the future may bring different interpretations both in terms of function and their intended use at that time. Of course, these issues will particularly be addressed at the World Neolithic Congress that will be held in Şanlıurfa this November. We believe the discussions at this congress will attract significant worldwide attention."
