ISTANBUL, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye has launched excavations for the first time in a new section of Gobeklitepe, one of the world's oldest known monumental sanctuaries, where archaeologists have already uncovered structures that may have served as dwellings, officials said on Thursday.
Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced that excavations have begun in a new 80-by-70-meter area on the northern part of the mound.
Surface surveys and geomagnetic measurements indicate the presence of large communal buildings, rectangular structures and huts in the area, he said.
Alongside the new excavations, archaeologists have continued conservation efforts at the site, including measures to improve the seismic stability of its existing stone pillars, Ersoy noted.
Necmi Karul, head of the excavations at Gobeklitepe, said excavations had revealed rectangular buildings dating to the site's second occupational phase just beneath the surface.
Karul told Anadolu Agency that the discovery could help researchers better understand daily life at Gobeklitepe, which has long been known for its monumental communal structures.
Located in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa, Gobeklitepe dates back roughly 11,000 years and is widely regarded as one of the earliest known monumental religious sites. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2018. ■
