Türkiye: Turkish archaeologists uncover new structures believed to be homes at Gobeklitepe.

SHOTLIST SANLIURFA, TÜRKIYE (AUG. 12, 2026) 1. VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS OF GOBEKLITEPE AND EXCAVATION SITE AS WORKERS DIG SOIL 2. VARIOUS OF EXCAVATION WORKERS DIGGING SOIL AT GOBEKLITEPE 3. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) COORDINATOR OF TAS TEPELER PROJECT AND HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, PROF. DR. NECMI KARUL, SAYING: “We started from one side of the excavation area and are moving northward. Just below the surface, we uncovered rectangular structures dating to the second phase of Gobeklitepe.” 4. WHITE FLASH 5. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) COORDINATOR OF TAS TEPELER PROJECT AND HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, PROF. DR. NECMI KARUL, SAYING: “The fact that they were just below the surface allowed us to quickly obtain evidence that gives us an idea of the layout and settlement pattern. We even reached the floors of some structures very quickly because this is an area exposed to erosion. The upper sections of the walls had eroded away a long time ago.” 6. WHITE FLASH 7. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) COORDINATOR OF TAS TEPELER PROJECT AND HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, PROF. DR. NECMI KARUL, SAYING: “Our plan for this year is to remove the surface layer across the entire area you see behind me and expose the structural remains lying just beneath the surface.” 8. WIDE OF EXCAVATION TEAM MEMBERS WORKING AT SITE 9. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) COORDINATOR OF TAS TEPELER PROJECT AND HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, PROF. DR. NECMI KARUL, SAYING: “We had previously uncovered many similar structures over two excavation seasons, just on the edge of this area, on the slope of what we call GT1. We are talking about structures of the same type.” 10. WHITE FLASH 11. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) COORDINATOR OF TAS TEPELER PROJECT AND HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, PROF. DR. NECMI KARUL, SAYING: “From what we have seen so far, the tradition of erecting standing stones appears to have weakened. Although these spaces still contain standing stones, when we look at the way the buildings were organized, we can say that they may have been used mainly for residential purposes. But of course, exposing only the walls is not enough to make a definite assessment.” 12. WHITE FLASH 13. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) COORDINATOR OF TAS TEPELER PROJECT AND HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, PROF. DR. NECMI KARUL, SAYING: “In particular, the soil samples we collect from inside these structures will provide us with information about how these spaces were used. This is something we will be able to understand more clearly once we reach the floor levels and analyze the samples taken from the floors. Our initial impression, however, is that these structures were used as dwellings.” 14. EXCAVATION WORKER SITTING AND EXAMINING SOIL IN SIEVE 15. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) COORDINATOR OF TAS TEPELER PROJECT AND HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, PROF. DR. NECMI KARUL, SAYING: “At Gobeklitepe, there are both public buildings constructed for communal or special purposes and residential structures. These were used at the same time. The presence of both types of structures shows us that this was not simply a center of worship, but rather a settlement.” 16. WHITE FLASH 17. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) COORDINATOR OF TAS TEPELER PROJECT AND HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, PROF. DR. NECMI KARUL, SAYING: “And this is not a conclusion based solely on what we have found at Gobeklitepe. At Karahantepe and at all the other settlements excavated as part of the Tas Tepeler project, we have also uncovered public buildings as well as residential structures around them. So these were contemporary settlements where people lived and interacted with one another.” 18. VARIOUS OF EXCAVATION TEAM MEMBERS WORKING AT GOBEKLITEPE 19. VARIOUS OF GOBEKLITEPE SANLIURFA, TÜRKIYE - AUG. 12: Excavations at Gobeklitepe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site widely regarded as the "zero point of history," have uncovered rectangular-plan structures in a newly opened area to the north of the site's protective roof, the excavation team announced. Prof. Dr. Necmi Karul, coordinator of the Tas Tepeler Project and head of the Gobeklitepe excavation, told Anadolu that work began this season across a new area covering approximately 1,500 square meters, after olive trees previously standing there were relocated. "We started from one side of the excavation area and are moving northward. Just below the surface, we uncovered rectangular structures dating to the second phase of Gobeklitepe," Karul said. He noted that erosion in the area allowed the team to quickly reach the floors of some buildings and obtain evidence about the layout and settlement pattern. Karul said similar structures had previously been uncovered during two excavation seasons on the slope of an adjacent area known as GT1. "From what we have seen so far, the tradition of erecting standing stones appears to have weakened. Although these spaces still contain standing stones, when we look at the way the buildings were organized, we can say that they may have been used