In the 1960s, an archeologist named Peter Benedict stumbled upon—what is now known as—Göbekli Tepe. At the time, Benedict found tops of ancient stone pillars and figured they were graves. Fast forward to the 1990s, an archaeologist named Klaus Schmidt went back to the site and realized this was much more than a gravesite — it was a sanctuary. Since then, archaeologists have been learning more about the beginning of humankind and what Göbekli Tepe represents.

Göbekli Tepe can be found right outside of Şanlıurfa, Turkey, and is now known as a UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is a religious and holy experience that can give modern-day explorers answers to life back in 10,000 BCE. Tourists can see Göbekli Tepe themselves through a variety of respectful tours but until then, keep scrolling to learn 10 facts about this sacred temple.

10 It Could Be The World's Oldest Temple

What exactly is Göbekli Tepe? Klaus Schmidt believes it's one of the oldest temples in the world. According to All That's Interesting, there's no evidence of any kind of daily living on the grounds. There were no homes, no kitchens — no one settled here to stay long-term; it seemed to be strictly used as a place of worship.

9 It's Currently In The Process Of Being Restored

Dating back over 12,000 years ago, archeologists are in the process of restoring the incredible temple. Restoring the temple to its former glory will give tourists and historians a better idea of what this prehistoric place of worship looked like as they continue to find more artifacts. Just imagine what some of these archeological discoveries are worth!

8 Experts Believed It Was A Gravesite

Upon finding broken pieces of limestone in Turkey's sand and dirt, experts believed the area was a graveyard of sorts; a place to bury the dead. The pieces of limestone were headers or markings for where the bodies were. After digging below the tops of the stones, however, they realized the stumbled upon something much bigger.

7 It Was Formed By Hunter-Gatherers

To put Göbekli Tepe into perspective, historians believe it was created in 9,500BC. That would mean it's 7,000 years older than—what we thought was one of the oldest signs of humanity—Stonehenge. This puts history in a time where Göbekli Tepe was most likely created by hunter-gatherers — who used animal bones as tools.

6 The Structures Are Insanely Heavy

At the end of the day, Göbekli Tepe is a vast area with different sized pillars and blocks with carvings on them.

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Knowing that the series of temples were created around the hunters-gathers time period, it's astounding that these people were able to create it since the pillars weigh around 40-60 tons!

5 Animals Were Important To Its Creation

Crafted in the stone's design are different carvings of animals. Through the restoration process, archaeologists found boars, snakes, and other wild animals carved within the pillars. Some pillars even have a 3D version of lions or a greater predator attached to it, which could be seen as an act of protection.

4 Did We Mention It's Massive?

Göbekli Tepe isn't home to just one temple, archeologists have found over 20! By what's been uncovered thus far, historians believe the layout had two bigger focal points as the center of each establishment, with small structures and walls breaking each one up.

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The area reaches 1,000 feet in diameter, on top of a hill overlooking the rest of the nearest towns and mountain ridges.

3 Is This The Original Garden of Eden?

Now known as the world's oldest temple, archaeologists around the world are casting their theories on this special piece of land. Ancient.eu even states that some believe it was the original site for the Bible's Garden of Eden. With gorgeous mountain tops, rolling hills, and wild animals, 9,500BC looked completely different from the area archaeologists and tourists are seeing today.

2 Diggers Believe They've Only Uncovered 5% Of The Temple

Diggers have found animal bones all over the temple's grounds, but maybe these bones weren't just from tools... All Things Interesting notes that some historians believe special meetings or events were held at Göbekli Tepe.

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The various bones from gazelles and birds could indicate that feasts were held here. The large stone jars diggers also found could have been cups for water or a special kind of beer.

1 Are The Shape Of The Pillars Actually People?

Throughout the dig, archeologists found T-shaped rocks and pillars that reach almost 20 feet tall! After years of digging, they're now starting to think that these T-shaped pillars were actually their versions of statues for people. The "T" shape could act as arms attached to the body. The question is, who were they praying to? Gods or people important to their villages?

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