The hilltop sanctuary of Göbeklitepe, a temple complex that dates back to Neolithic times, has been added by UNESCO to its tentative list of World Heritage Sites, a precursor to inclusion on the actual list.
The site in the Southeast Anatolian province of Şanlıurfa dates back more than 10,000 years and is believed by some archaeologists to be the world’s oldest place of worship.
“We are gladdened by the inclusion of Göbeklitepe on the tentative list. I believe Göbeklitepe will be included in the [World Heritage] list,” Şanlıurfa Mayor Ahmet Eşref Fakıbaba said following the announcement by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO.
A country must first submit its important natural and cultural heritage sites to UNESCO’s tentative list before they can be included on the actual World Heritage List. The tentative list also includes several other sites in Turkey for the year 2011: the ancient city of Bergama in İzmir province, the St. Pierre (Peter) Church in Hatay and the Eşrefoğlu Mosque in Konya’s Beyşehir province.
The addition of cultural and natural properties to the World Heritage List will be determined at the 35th World Heritage Committee Meeting between June 19 and 29, the Anatolia news agency reported.
Göbeklitepe was declared a first-degree protected site by the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry in 2005. The people who inhabited the area some 12,000 years ago were among the first humans who engaged in agriculture along with hunting and gathering. Barley, wheat and lentils were some of the first crops planted there.
Source: Hurriyet [May 03, 2011]
The site in the Southeast Anatolian province of Şanlıurfa dates back more than 10,000 years and is believed by some archaeologists to be the world’s oldest place of worship.
“We are gladdened by the inclusion of Göbeklitepe on the tentative list. I believe Göbeklitepe will be included in the [World Heritage] list,” Şanlıurfa Mayor Ahmet Eşref Fakıbaba said following the announcement by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO.
A country must first submit its important natural and cultural heritage sites to UNESCO’s tentative list before they can be included on the actual World Heritage List. The tentative list also includes several other sites in Turkey for the year 2011: the ancient city of Bergama in İzmir province, the St. Pierre (Peter) Church in Hatay and the Eşrefoğlu Mosque in Konya’s Beyşehir province.
The addition of cultural and natural properties to the World Heritage List will be determined at the 35th World Heritage Committee Meeting between June 19 and 29, the Anatolia news agency reported.
Göbeklitepe was declared a first-degree protected site by the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry in 2005. The people who inhabited the area some 12,000 years ago were among the first humans who engaged in agriculture along with hunting and gathering. Barley, wheat and lentils were some of the first crops planted there.
Source: Hurriyet [May 03, 2011]
