Göbeklitepe and pre pottery neolithic tour - 5 days
Göbeklitepe and Pre Pottery Neolithic Tour - 5 Days
Fantastic theme. Southeastern Turkey is basically ground zero for the Neolithic Revolution, and 5 days is perfect if you focus tightly on Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN A & B) sites.
Below is a serious, archaeology-driven 5-day itinerary, designed for people who care about context, stratigraphy, and chronology, not just photo stops.
5 - Days Pre-Pottery Neolithic Tour
Southeastern Turkey (c. 10,500–7,000 BCE)
Core regions: Şanlıurfa – Mardin – Diyarbakır – Batman
Day 1 – Şanlıurfa | The Birth of Monumental Architecture
Theme: PPNA ritual centers
Sites
Göbekli Tepe (PPNA, c. 9600–8200 BCE)
Enclosure D (T-pillars, animal reliefs)
Discussion: hunter-gatherers + monumentality
Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum
Göbekli Tepe finds
Neolithic Urfa Man statue
Balıklıgöl Area (contextual stop)
Long-term sacred landscape continuity
Overnight: Şanlıurfa
Focus topics:
Symbolism before agriculture
Ritual vs settlement debate
Day 2 – Karahantepe & Taş Tepeler Project
Theme: Expanding the Göbekli paradigm
Sites
Karahantepe (PPNA)
In-situ pillars emerging from bedrock
Human head sculptures
Evidence of permanent architectural planning
Sayburç Reliefs (early PPN)
Narrative stone reliefs (human–animal interaction)
Çakmaktepe (external visit if permitted)
Settlement evidence vs ritual space
Overnight: Şanlıurfa
Focus topics:
Taş Tepeler cultural network
Regional planning & shared iconography
Day 3 – Şanlıurfa → Mardin | Early Settled Life
Theme: Transition from ritual to domestic life
Sites
Boncuklu Tarla (PPNB, c. 10,000 BCE)
Early village layout
Communal buildings
Beads, tools, and domestic structures
Mardin Museum
Neolithic tools and regional continuity
Overnight: Mardin
Focus topics:
Sedentism before farming
Social organization in early villages
3.5 hrs drive
Day 4 – Mardin → Diyarbakır | Early Agriculture
Theme: The Neolithic household
Sites
Çayönü Tepesi (PPNB)
Grill-plan buildings
Skull building (ancestor cult)
Evidence of early domestication
Diyarbakır Museum
Lithics, bone tools, subsistence evidence
Overnight: Diyarbakır
Focus topics:
From foraging to farming
Bioarchaeological evidence
4 hrs drive
Day 5 – Diyarbakır → Batman | Final PPN Horizons
Theme: River valleys & burial practices
Sites
Körtik Tepe (PPNA–PPNB)
Elaborate grave goods
Stone vessels
Early social stratification
Hasankeyf Area (contextual stop)
Long-term settlement continuity along the Tigris
Tour ends: Batman or Diyarbakır
Focus topics:
Mortuary practices
Social differentiation in early Neolithic societies
2.5 hrs
Chronological Snapshot
SitePeriod Göbekli Tepe PPNA Karahantepe PPNA Sayburç Early
PPN Boncuklu Tarla PPNB Çayönü PPNB Körtik Tepe PPNA–PPNB