Göbeklitepe promoted in Rome

ROME

Göbeklitepe, considered to be the oldest temple in the world with its 12,000 years of history and also included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, was introduced in Rome, the capital of Italy, with a comprehensive event including panels and photography exhibitions.

The panel and the photo exhibition titled “Göbeklitepe: The History of Humanity Rewritten” was organized by Yıldız Palace Foundation under the auspices of Yunus Emre Institute Rome Turkish Cultural Center.

The president of Yıldız Palace Foundation, Professor Zeynep Karahan Uslu moderated the panel. The speakers were Milan Polytechnic University Professor Giulio Magli; Iğdır University Archaeologist Professor Bahattin Çelik; and Göbeklitepe Excavation Coordinator from the German Institute of Archeology, Lee Clare.

Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, Culture and Tourism Deputy Director Özgül Özkan Yavuz said, “Göbeklitepe is an area where we, as the Culture and Tourism Ministry, have been working patiently and enthusiastically since the 1960s.”

Yavuz stated that Göbeklitepe was first declared as a registered area in 1963 and said, “As a result of a very long study, we registered Göbeklitepe in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 2018. Then the year 2019 was declared the year of Göbeklitepe.”

Yavuz emphasized that they increased the number of visitors with their promotional activities.

“As the ministry, we did outstanding work in terms of publicity this year. As of the first half of 2019, we reached 175,000 visitors. It was nearly 5,000 in 2018. Of course, as the ministry we carry out a lot of work for Göbeklitepe. However, as in this evening, we encourage the NGOs to work in this field and support the promotion.”

Uslu said that they were pleased to bring together Göbeklitepe with Italians in an exhibition, featuring the photos taken by İzzet Keribar and Francesco Cicconi.

“Today we had the opportunity to host a group that can introduce Göbeklitepe to large segments of society such as Italian travel agency owners, columnists and bloggers,” Uslu added.

She said that they will also host such a group in Turkey’s Şanlıurfa next month.