The Zero Point of History: Göbeklitepe and Nearby Ancient Sites

Göbeklitepe, the oldest known monumental belief structure in the world, has overturned much of what we thought we knew about our prehistoric hunter-gatherer ancestors. It is also the starting point for a journey through some of the most remarkable sites of Turkey's Mesopotamian region.

Göbeklitepe

We used to picture hunter-gatherers as small, fairly primitive groups that moved from place to place and stayed only as long as there were animals to hunt and plants to gather. Göbeklitepe, dating back to 9600 BC, showed that they were far less primitive than we assumed. They were socially organised, able to come together for a common purpose, and capable of raising T-shaped stone pillars weighing 15 tons, carved with animal reliefs of admirable craftsmanship — building themselves a cult and gathering centre.

Halfeti

Founded in 855 BC by the Assyrian king Shalmaneser II, Halfeti lies 102 km east of Gaziantep and is one of the villages affected by the Birecik Dam and its reservoir. Unlike other settlements, it was not entirely flooded by the Euphrates, but part of the village could not escape the water.

You can see the mosque at the edge of the new lake, and if you look into the water you will make out the outlines of submerged houses — an almost surreal sight. These changes have made the area a tourist attraction, but because the village is part of the Cittaslow movement, which champions a relaxed and calm urban culture, accommodation options are limited.

• Rumkale — a fortress built by the Assyrians on a hilltop near Halfeti
• Savaşan — an abandoned, half-submerged village

Mount Nemrut

Mount Nemrut has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1987. It is famous for the statues on its summit, created by the Kingdom of Commagene, a political unit founded on the ruins of Alexander the Great's empire. The kingdom lasted only 200 years before being absorbed into the Roman Empire, but during its existence it was known for its necropolises and tombs. The summit is in fact the resting place and monument of King Antiochus I.

The statues are eight to nine metres tall and depict the ruler, lions, eagles and various Greek, Armenian and Median gods. They were originally seated, but at some point they were damaged, their heads removed and scattered to where they lie today. There are also reliefs and a tumulus that some believe is the king's tomb, though not all archaeologists are convinced it has been found.

Zeugma

Zeugma was founded in 300 BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals. It took its name from a bridge linking the two banks of the Euphrates: in ancient Greek, zeugma means "bridge" or "passage".

The city was later conquered by the Romans and passed naturally to the Byzantines. In 256, the Sasanian king Shapur I destroyed it; Zeugma never fully recovered and never regained its earlier prosperity. Arab raids eventually led to its abandonment. The area was resettled later, but without continuity with ancient Zeugma.

Like many historic sites in the region, Zeugma was partly flooded when a dam and reservoir were built; an estimated 25% of the city's surface now lies under the Euphrates. The Zeugma Mosaic Museum in Gaziantep was created with pieces removed from the site before the flooding, and archaeologists continue to work there, with much still to be discovered.