The prehistoric cult site Göbekli Tepe is located 15km northeast of Şanlıurfa in the east of Turkey. With an age of approx. 11,500 years it is the oldest cult site of mankind found so far. In a time in which there were not even larger settlements and the people still lived as hunters and gatherers, a cult place was established here, whose T-shaped megaliths have a weight of up to 30 tons. It is assumed that people from a region of probably up to 200 km gathered here regularly to celebrate their cult of the gods.

At the highest point of a 750 metre high mountain range, archaeologists have excavated 7 circular stone structures consisting of partly relieved T-shaped pillars.  Geophysical investigations suggest that about 20 more of these stone structures are hidden underground. Some animal figures (such as foxes, birds, snakes, buffalos, scorpions, etc.) are carved into the stone steles.

The German Archaeological Institute has been digging here since the mid-1990s. On 1 July 2018 Göbekli Tepe was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.