People are still amazed by such ancient buildings as the famous British monument Stonehenge and the world-famous Egyptian pyramids. Only in 1963, the world found out about the oldest temple complex about 12 thousand years old. Since then, permanent archaeological excavations have been conducted on the territory of the present-day city of Sanliurfa. Scientists have unraveled numerous secrets of one of the main Turkish tourist sites – the ancient religious erection Gobekli Tepe (Göbekli Tepe).

For 9,5 thousand years, the unique complex was hidden under a green hill 300 meters in diameter and about 15 meters high. Then the well-known American archaeologist, Peter Benedict, was supposed to have found a cemetery from the times of the Byzantine Empire and had no idea about all the treasures buried in this place. Large-scale investigations under the leadership of Klaus Schmidt started more than 30 years later, in 1994. They subsequently led to a revision of the entire chronology of the human civilization roots. Before this significant historic event, they believed that primitive people lived by hunting and gathering.

Today, the world-renowned temple complex Gobekli Tepe is open to the public. It is a circular structure with monolithic columns interconnected by stone walls. The same three-meter-high columns were installed in the center of the building, as well as low stone benches along the walls. All columns were decorated with images of wild animals, including bulls and lions, snakes and crocodiles, scorpions and spiders. But the images of vultures and ducks prevail, by the way. Besides, there are scenes with people and anthropomorphic statues 60 centimeters tall dating back to the 10th millennium BC.

According to the famous American scientist, Colin Ellard, the complex mission was mystical, and images of totem animals intended to protect against the biggest fear of men – the fear of death.