It was first noticed in 1963: Everything changed with the statue found by a farmer!
Discovered during surface work in 1963 near the rural Örencik Neighborhood within the borders of Şanlıurfa's central Haliliye district, 18 kilometers from the city center, Göbeklitepe's most concrete findings emerged in 1986 with a statue found by a farmer plowing his field.
In the excavations that began in 1995 with permission from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, "T" shaped standing stones with wild animal figures, measuring 3 to 6 meters in length and weighing 40 to 60 tons, dating back to the Neolithic Period, were found.
Göbeklitepe, whose fame increases day by day with the artifacts from the Neolithic Period unearthed, was added to the UNESCO Temporary List in 2011 and to the World Heritage List in 2018.
With this title, Göbeklitepe's worldwide recognition has increased, and the number of visitors has gradually increased with 2019 being declared the "Year of Göbeklitepe" by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Even though the number of visitors decreased due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has affected the whole world, and the earthquake and flood disaster in 2023, Göbeklitepe was visited by 412 thousand 378 people in 2019, 197 thousand 912 in 2020, 567 thousand 453 in 2021, 837 thousand 811 in 2022, 512 thousand 164 in 2023, 731 thousand 794 in 2024, 385 thousand 511 in the first 6 months of 2025, and a total of 3 million 645 thousand 23 people.
Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism Aydın Aslan said that Göbeklitepe is becoming an increasingly popular place in the world.
Stating that they are working to attract more tourists to Göbeklitepe, Aslan said:
"Göbeklitepe has become the locomotive of regional tourism after it was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List. All tours to the region, without exception, include Göbeklitepe and Şanlıurfa. When we look at it from this perspective, Göbeklitepe shows that it will be the locomotive of cultural tourism not only for the region but also for Türkiye in the coming years."
Aslan reminded that the "Göbeklitepe: The Mystery of a Sacred Place" exhibition was opened at the Colosseum in Rome by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism within the scope of the branding of Göbeklitepe.
Mentioning the importance of international promotions, Aslan said, "6 million people visited the exhibition that lasted six months. Its impact was reflected on the field in a short time. Many visitors who saw the exhibition in the Colosseum started to come to the region to see Göbeklitepe as well."
One of the visitors, Ahmet Yazdağ, said that he came from Australia to visit Göbeklitepe.
Stating that Göbeklitepe excites him, Yazdağ said, "I work in a hospital in Australia. Even there, doctors want to come and see Göbeklitepe. I hope they come here and see it. Şanlıurfa is a place worth coming and seeing."
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