Work around ancient temple not harming site: Turkey

Turkey on Wednesday blasted "baseless" social media claims about damage being done to the site of Göbeklitepe, a site in southeastern Turkey hailed as the world's oldest temple.

In a statement, Turkey's Culture and Tourism Ministry said: "Our ministry will examine the work at Göbeklitepe with a delegation made up of experts and journalists to inform the public that such allegations are baseless."

Structures at the ancient temple in Şanlıurfa, southeastern Turkey, have not been damaged by restoration work at the site, added the ministry.

Göbeklitepe is on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is recognized as the oldest temple in the world by many international organizations.

During preparations for its candidacy, a 4,000-square-meter steel roof was erected to protect the site.

After being temporarily closed to visits due to work on its new roof, Göbeklitepe reopened last month.