Göbeklitepe

One of Turkey's most important ancient ruins, the hilltop site of Göbeklitepe, near Şanlıurfa, has generated hundreds of headlines worldwide, been anointed with UNESCO World Heritage status, (and provided the inspiration for the Netflix series The Gift) since it was opened to the public.

This small site of towering T-shaped pillars, inscribed with animal figures and anthropomorphic details, dates from the pre-pottery Neolithic era and is thought by archaeologists to be the world's earliest religious sanctuary.

Although it may not have the wow-factor of Turkey's many, much later Bronze Age and Greco-Roman ancient sites, Göbeklitepe's importance in our understanding of early human history has made it one of the most popular tourist attractions in Turkey's southeast