Archaeologists discovered statues and animal figures during excavations in Göbeklitepe and Karahantepe

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism reports that during excavations in Göbeklitepe and Karahantepe, archaeologists have found several new finds: a life-size boar figurine made of limestone, a realistic human statue 2.3 meters high and a vulture figurine.

Göbekli Tepe literally translates from Turkish as "The Bumpy Hill". It is a temple complex located 8 kilometers northeast of the city of Şanlıurfa. The temple is estimated to be 12,000 years old and dates back to at least the 9th millennium BC.  The Göbekli-Tepe temples are the oldest cultic structures, the construction of which began in the Mesolithic period and lasted for several thousand years. Since 1994, excavations and research have been carried out by the Istanbul branch of the German Archaeological Institute in cooperation with the Şanlıurfa Museum.