Extraordinary Discovery at the Ground Zero of History

The young archaeologists and art historians from 21 countries invited by Yunus Emre Institute in the Year of Göbeklitepe have visited Göbeklitepe, a historical site which has reshaped the world history and dispensed with established theories, with the support of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (SAP) Development Administration.

The Archaeology Summer School students have embarked on their discovery of our country’s invaluable treasures in the world cultural heritage at Troy and Ephesus. Following their visits to Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa, they went to Göbeklitepe, one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of recent years, on Sunday, July 28, in the company of Şanlıurfa Museum Director and Göbeklitepe Excavation Committee Chairman Celal Uludağ.

Uludağ expressed satisfaction over the opportunity to welcome the participants from different countries at Göbeklitepe, a site uncovered with self-sacrificial work by German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt and his Turkish colleagues. Regarding the visitors, Uludağ commented: “We have obtained all of their opinions; they are well pleased glad. Art historians and archaeologists said they would like to work here. And we made the same offer to them. We hope that they will have an opportunity to work here in coming years.”

Archaeologist Shadi Kalantar Ghoreishi Harandi, from Iran, said: “I come from Iran; I am an archaeologist. Göbeklitepe is the ground zero of history; I am so excited to be here. My dream is to take part in the excavations here. I would like to thank Yunus Emre Institute very much for this opportunity. We, as the Archaeology Summer School, have learned a lot about not only excavation sites, but also about the culture of the places we have visited. In the summer school, we have learned about different cultures and traditions. It is an unforgettable experience.”