Which country contains the ancient site of Göbekli Tepe?

Turkey contains the ancient site of Göbekli Tepe.

Göbekli Tepe is an archaeological site in southeastern Turkey near Şanlıurfa. Its monumental enclosures and T-shaped limestone pillars were built mainly during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period, beginning around 9600 BCE, making the site far older than Stonehenge.

The builders lived before settled agriculture was fully established in the region, challenging older assumptions that large monuments could only be constructed by farming societies with cities and centralized states. The site may have served ritual or ceremonial purposes, although its exact function remains debated.

Göbekli Tepe was identified by modern archaeology in the 1960s, but its significance became clear after excavations led by Klaus Schmidt beginning in the 1990s. It is part of the “Tash Tepeler” region, which contains several other early monumental sites.