Groundbreaking Exhibition Inaugurated in Berlin
A significant exhibition, 'Building Community: Göbeklitepe, Taş Tepeler and Life 12,000 Years Ago,' officially opened in Berlin on February 10, 2026. This landmark event brings to Europe a collection of 12,000-year-old artifacts from the UNESCO World Heritage site of Göbeklitepe and the broader Taş Tepeler region in Türkiye. The exhibition is hosted at the James-Simon-Galerie on Museum Island, a prominent cultural hub in the German capital, and is scheduled to run until July 19, 2026.
Unveiling the Neolithic Revolution
The exhibition delves into a pivotal period of human history, illustrating the transition from nomadic hunter-gatherer societies to settled agricultural communities. Göbeklitepe, often referred to as the world's oldest known monumental sanctuary, has significantly reshaped archaeological understanding of the Neolithic Age, suggesting that complex social structures and monumental architecture may have predated the widespread adoption of agriculture. The artifacts on display offer insights into the early forms of social organization, belief systems, and daily life of these ancient communities.
Artifacts and Collaborations
Visitors to the exhibition will encounter approximately 93 selected artifacts, including 89 original pieces and four replicas, many of which are being displayed outside Türkiye for the first time. Among these, 44 works are making their international debut. The exhibition is a collaborative effort between the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, the Vorderasiatisches Museum (Museum of the Ancient Near East), the Şanlıurfa Archaeological Museum, and the 'Taş Tepeler' research project at Istanbul University, with participation from the German Archaeological Institute. The display also features striking photographs of the Taş Tepeler landscape by renowned Spanish photographer Isabel Muñoz, offering a contemporary artistic perspective on these ancient sites.
Significance of Göbeklitepe and Taş Tepeler
The sites of Göbeklitepe and Taş Tepeler represent a crucial period in human development, providing tangible evidence of early human ingenuity and societal complexity. The monumental stone pillars, reliefs, and figurative sculptures from these sites challenge previous theories about the origins of civilization, highlighting the profound societal transformations that occurred in southeastern Anatolia. Professor Necmi Karul, Coordinator of the Taş Tepeler Research Project, emphasized that Göbeklitepe is part of a larger Neolithic landscape, with ongoing excavations across multiple sites in the Şanlıurfa region continuing to reveal a broader picture of this transformative era.
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