ISTANBUL
Turkey's Culture and Tourism Ministry held a photo exhibition and book launch in Istanbul on Wednesday on Gobeklitepe, the world's oldest temple.
The more than 10,000-year-old site was unearthed in southeastern Turkey changing the way how archaeologists think about the origins of civilizations.
Earlier, it was thought that when hunter-gatherers settled down and grew crops the food surplus paved the way for complex societies. Now, scholars argue that organized religion forced people to settle down, pushing them to develop agriculture as a way of living.
We live on a territory with extraordinary cultural and historical wealth, said Nadir Alpaslan, the deputy minister of culture and tourism.
Stating that Gobekliepe was quickly included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, Alpaslan said the historical site introduced Turkey to an international audience.
Zeynep Karahan, editor of the book Rewriting Human History, said Turkey is a must-see country as it is home to scores of civilizations.
Also present at the event, Massimo Gaiani, Italy's ambassador in Ankara, said he was pleased to contribute to Turkey's archeological legacy by promoting it.
The photos of the Legacy of Time Photo Exhibition were taken by photographers Izzet Keribar and Francesco Cicconi.
The German Archaeological Institute and Sanliurfa Museum have been carrying out joint excavations at the site since 1995. They found T-shaped obelisks from the Neolithic era towering 10-20 feet (3-6 meters) high and weighing 40-60 tons.
During excavations, various historical artifacts, including a 26-inch (65-centimeter) long human statue dating back 12,000 years, have also been discovered.
* Writing by Ali Murat Alhas
