Karahantepe Photo Gallery
The limestone ridge of Karahantepe — the hilltop where 11,000 years of silence ended
Fazlı Karabacak
Excavation complex — the scale of Karahantepe begins to emerge from the hillside
Fazlı Karabacak
The Pillar Shrine (Structure AB) — 11 T-shaped pillars carved from the living bedrock
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Structure AB viewed from above — the circular plan unique to Karahantepe
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T-shaped pillars rising from bedrock — no quarrying, no transport, carved in place
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Panoramic view of Structure AB during the 2025 excavation season
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The central human figure of Structure AB — emerging from the limestone floor itself
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Relief carving on a T-shaped pillar — leopard or predator figure with incised detail
Fazlı Karabacak
Carved human heads — among the earliest naturalistic portraits in human history
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Limestone head sculpture — hollowed eye sockets designed to receive obsidian inlays
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Carved head — defined cheekbones, strong jaw, and a presence that crosses 11 millennia
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Head sculpture in profile — the surface texture preserved after 11,000 years
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Head fragment — cheekbone and jaw detail that places Karahantepe ahead of its time
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Human figures carved into pillars and walls — realistic depictions unmatched in the Neolithic world
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Karahantepe site — the excavation area set against the vast southeastern Anatolian steppe
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Visitors on the protected walkway — following the path of discovery above the chambers
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The approach to Karahantepe — the Şanlıurfa plain stretching to the horizon
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Newly exposed architectural features — 2025 season reveals another layer of complexity
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The Karahantepe valley — the terrain that sheltered this Neolithic community for millennia
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