Karahan Tepe Pillared Structure East Ridge — Northern Annex
Pre-Pottery Neolithic (9500-8500 BCE)·Pre-Pottery Neolithic·🇹🇷 Southeastern Anatolia, Sanliurfa, Turkey
About
About Karahan Tepe Pillared Structure East Ridge — Northern Annex
Karahan Tepe Pillared Structure East Ridge — Northern Annex in Southeastern Anatolia, Sanliurfa, Turkey is a Pre-Pottery Neolithic (9500-8500 BCE) temple complex attributed to Pre-Pottery Neolithic. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal enclosure 11 × 3 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages.
3134E controls access to Southeastern Anatolia, Sanliurfa resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey temple-complex for Southeastern Anatolia, Sanliurfa, illustrating Pre-Pottery Neolithic construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Scale of population vs agricultural catchment
- 02Ritual vs domestic use
Theories
- 01Ancestral burial reuse over centuries
- 02Astronomical alignment hypothesis
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 9000 BCE
- Period
- Pre-Pottery Neolithic (9500-8500 BCE)
- Culture
- Pre-Pottery Neolithic
- Purpose
- Ceremonial centre and pilgrimage focus with stratified deposits
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 9000 BCE
Initial construction of Karahan Tepe Pillared Structure East Ridge — Northern Annex main structure
c. 803 CE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Karahan Tepe Pillared Structure East Ridge — Northern Annex
19th–20th century
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Karahan Tepe Pillared Structure East Ridge — Northern Annex) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
37.0933° N · 39.3134° E · 709 m · 4 mapped features
Karahan Tepe Pillared Structure East Ridge — Northern Annex — Main Temple-Complex Feature
structurePrimary structure at Karahan Tepe Pillared Structure East Ridge — Northern Annex — enclosure wall with stratified deposits
37.0933° N · 39.3126° EKarahan Tepe Pillared Structure East Ridge — Northern Annex — Secondary Enclosure
enclosureAncillary enclosure at Karahan Tepe Pillared Structure East Ridge — Northern Annex — rock-cut facade with stratified deposits
37.0933° N · 39.3154° EKarahan Tepe Pillared Structure East Ridge — Northern Annex — Outlier Rock Art Panel
rock artOutlier rock_art panel linked to Karahan Tepe Pillared Structure East Ridge — Northern Annex ceremonial landscape
37.0939° N · 39.3124° EKarahan Tepe Pillared Structure East Ridge — Northern Annex — Hydraulic/Cistern Annex
hydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir at Karahan Tepe Pillared Structure East Ridge — Northern Annex with plastered basin
37.0949° N · 39.3131° E