Magical hot air balloons await guests in world’s oldest temple

ŞANLIURFA

Colorful hot air balloons took off at the famous ancient site of Göbeklitepe in southeastern Turkey’s Şanlıurfa province, kicking off the new season.

The tours organized with hot air balloons take off at sunrise three days a week near the world’s oldest temple which 200,000 tourists visited last year only.

An hour-long hot air balloon ride costs around 1,000 Turkish Liras ($110) per person.

Hot air balloon tours were suspended for a while due to the pandemic, however, it was restarted with the support of local authorities to increase the diversity of touristic activities in the province.

Speaking to Demirören News Agency, pilot Bilge Ezel said that hot air balloon tours will continue until next summer in the region where milder winter conditions are experienced compared to the rest of the country.

Ezel also hinted that the number of tours in a week may increase in the coming days.

Prior to the discoveries at Göbeklitepe, academic circles believed that humans began to build temples after adopting a sedentary life and leaving their hunter-gatherer practices behind. However, Göbeklitepe, which was built by hunter-gatherer communities before they even began to practice agriculture, completely shifted this school of thought.

Since a UNESCO recognition, the prehistoric site has been attracting thousands of tourists from all over world.