‘Kültepe excavations should carry on for minimum 5,000 years’
KAYSERİ
The director of the excavations at the Kültepe Kaniş-Karum Mound in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri has estimated that it would take 5,000 years to unearth all the historical artifacts under the ground.
Kültepe Kaniş-Karum ruins, where the first written tablets of Anatolia dating back 6,000 years were discovered, are located 24 kilometers from the city center and include administrative buildings, religious buildings, houses and shops and workshop ruins.
Since 1948, excavation, restoration and inventory works have been ongoing at the ruins, making Kültepe one of the country’s most important tourism centers.
Approximately 23,500 written tablets have been found in the excavations carried out in the region so far. It is stated that the excavations in Kültepe, which entered its 75th year in 2023, are required to continue for least 5,000 years.
Giving information about the works, Prof. Dr. Fikri Kulakoğlu, the head of the excavations, stated that Kültepe has an area of approximately 3 kilometers wide, yet the excavations carried out there only involve 1 or 2 percent of the area.
“If we have to excavate Kültepe completely, which is not necessary, we have to leave it to the next generations. We need an excavation period that will last for at least 5,000 years. Of course, hundreds and thousands of scientists will continue to work here after us.”
Stating that it is possible to learn about the history of not only Anatolia but also Mesopotamia, Syria and the Near East from the artifacts of Kültepe, Kulakoğlu described the place as a “place that enlightens the whole ancient world.”
“Especially in the excavations carried out so far, around 23,500 tablets were found. If the excavations were finalized, we could see hundreds of thousands of tablets. If all the tablets are found, humanity will be able to learn the whole ancient world history from Kültepe,” Kulakoğlu explained.
