I visited Gobeklitepe in Spring 2021 after Nemrut Dagi WHS on the way to Sanliurfa TWHS. Gobeklitepe is the world's first known temple and notwithstanding its old age, the preserved T-shaped posts at the site are intricately decorated with figures of snakes, foxes, cranes, lions, bulls, boars, gazelles, bears, rams, spiders and scorpions.

Gobeklitepe is located about 22 kilometres from Sanliurfa, Harran and the Euphrates plateau. The Taurus Mountains and Karacadag Mountain not far from the Syrian border are visible too from here. Its geographical location together with the readily accessible nearbu stone quarries must have played a crucial role in the decision to build Gobeklitepe here. Gobeklitepe was discovered in 1963, however the true significance of the site was only realised as late as 1994, i.e. the transition from hunter-gatherer to food-producing communities, also known as the Neolithic Revolution.

I'm not a big fan of modern tents on ancient sites but the one at Gobeklitepe is one of the best worldwide and still allows some sunlight through. Nowadays, the only way to experience the T-shaped posts under a starry night sky (as had been first photographed by National Geographic for the first documentaries), is by viewing the audiovisual experience mainly geared to entertain children. After parking your vehicle, you can either walk for 5 minutes on a plain paved road or wait for a free shuttle bus to fill up. Since there was almost nobody around when we visited, we gladly walked the few metres in the sun to be able to visit the site itself basically on our own the whole time. The site is made up of 6 components marked A-F, and only the main ones A-D are under the tent while many others are still being excavated. Figures are also present on U-shaped stones in two of the main components. There are several information boards at each component and a UNESCO inscription sign just opposite the parking lot, near the visitor centre.