Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
GEOHERITAGE, cilt.14, sa.2, 2022 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
Gobeklitepe is an UNESCO World Heritage site located in SE Turkey, dating back to 11.7 ka BCE. It consists of laterally aligned, circular rooms without doors and T-shaped limestone columns up to 5 m high, placed in the middle and in the walls of the rooms. Most columns contain animal drawings. Studies have suggested that the site had a special function, e.g., as a temple. Following similar to 2 ka of use, the site was deliberately filled in with stones. Because the site is older than the beginning of the agricultural period, it is unclear what civilization constructed such large structures with only hand axes and what the meaning of the figures on the columns is. Here, the Gobeklitepe stone geology is discussed for the first time. We explain how the columns were produced from Early Miocene Firat Formation limestones, while the filling stones originated from the thinly bedded Eocene Gaziantep Formation. Both formations are Midyat Group marine units that formed on the northern margins of the Arabian platform during the last stages (Eocene-Early Miocene) of the Neotethys. The lateral equivalents of these units are the building stones of several historical sites in Middle Eastern and African countries, like Turkey. The building stones have traditionally been named according to the production localities, i.e., Sanhurfa Stone, regardless of the geological characteristics. We suggest emphasizing the geological diversity in names to improve the sustainability and reliability of the production and commercial use of natural stones.