Space enthusiasts to gather on Zerzevan Castle

DİYARBAKIR

A metal monolith erected some time ago for the promotion of Turkey’s space program at a point close to Göbeklitepe with the phrase “Look at the sky, see the moon” has appeared once again in Diyarbakır’s Zerzevan Castle.

This time the monolith was erected for the promotion of the Sky Observation Event, which will be held in the historical castle on Sept. 2 and 4.

The metal monolith, which was found on Feb. 5 in a field near Göbeklitepe ruins, 20 kilometers from the eastern province of Şanlıurfa, caused excitement among locals. The purpose of the monolith, which was about 3 meters high and 1 meter wide, had the phrase “Look at the sky, see the moon” in Göktürk alphabet and could not be understood at first.

But later, when President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the National Space Program on Feb. 9, the secret of the metal monolith was revealed.

The same monolith was used this time for the Sky Observation Event to be held on Sept. 2 and 4 in the castle. The monolith erected near the castle was met with the interest of the visitors of the region.

The event, which has been held in Antalya for 22 years by TÜBİTAK National Observatory (TUG), will be held in Diyarbakır this year at the 3,000-year-old Zerzevan Castle, which is on the World Heritage Tentative List of UNESCO, bringing together professional and amateur astronomers along with a more than 1,000 astronomy enthusiasts from Turkey and the world.

The event will be opened by the Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank and the participants will examine the sky with experts on the castle, which is considered one of the 10 best places to observe the sky in Turkey.

Also, the participants will learn about the astronomy studies carried out thousands of years ago in the world’s best-preserved Mithras Temple. During the event, which aims to increase the interest of young people in space, seminars, competitions and many workshops on astronomy will be held.