Sefertepe lies in Eskikale village, Viranşehir district, on the eastern edge of the Şanlıurfa plateau in south-eastern Türkiye — at roughly 37.186° N, 39.490° E, the most easterly known site of the Taş Tepeler group, the far side of the landscape from Göbekli Tepe and nearer the Karahan Tepe side. It is a Pre-Pottery Neolithic settlement with a long span: its T-shaped pillars belong to the region's earlier pillar tradition, while the excavated architectural complex, carved faces and bead are reported as Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, around 8,500 years old, and the skull room at roughly 10,000–10,500 years.
- Village
- Eskikale, Viranşehir
- Coordinates
- ≈ 37.186° N, 39.490° E
- Position
- Most easterly Taş Tepeler site
- Period
- Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPNA–PPNB)
Where exactly is Sefertepe?
Sefertepe sits on the plateau east of the city of Şanlıurfa, in the district of Viranşehir. That location matters. It is the frontier of the Taş Tepeler — the point where the Stone Hills landscape reaches furthest east, toward the Tigris basin. On-site observation suggests its architecture blends building traditions from both the Euphrates (Fırat) region to the west and the Tigris (Dicle) region to the east, which is exactly what you would expect of a settlement on the edge of two worlds. The excavation director, Emre Güldoğan, has said Sefertepe is beginning to show clear parallels with settlements in the Tigris region — and its beads, in non-local materials such as jade and labradorite, confirm it was tied into a wide exchange network rather than isolated. Göbekli Tepe, by contrast, lies on the western side of the same landscape, closer to Şanlıurfa itself.
Sefertepe is the eastern doorway of the Stone Hills — a settlement built where two river worlds meet.
How old is Sefertepe?
Sefertepe belongs to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic, the era before ceramic vessels, when the first permanent settlements were taking shape — and it spans a good stretch of it. Its T-shaped pillars place it within the region's earlier pillar tradition, while the excavated architectural complex, the carved faces and the double-faced bead are reported as Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, around 8,500 years old, and the skull room at roughly 10,000–10,500 years. Even the youngest of those figures is genuinely ancient — older than Stonehenge by some five millennia, older than the first cities of Mesopotamia. Wikipedia, following the survey literature, gives a build date near 8000 BC and abandonment around 6500 BC. As with every claim on this site, we treat these as working figures: precise, published radiocarbon results are still awaited, and different parts of the settlement will carry different dates.
A short Taş Tepeler timeline
Placing Sefertepe among its neighbours makes the sequence clearer:
- c. 9500–9000 BCEGöbekli Tepe — the earliest exposed monumental enclosures with T-shaped pillars are raised at the western edge of the landscape.
- c. 9500 BCE onKarahan Tepe — the sister site to the east, with rock-cut chambers and rows of pillars, appears just as early or earlier.
- ~10,500 yrs agoSefertepe's skull room — the eastern frontier settlement gathers human skulls in a prepared chamber.
- c. 8000 BCEGöbekli Tepe falls out of use as the farming world spreads across the region.
- ~8,500 yrs agoSefertepe's carved faces & bead — the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B platform with two heads, and the double-faced bead, are made.
Dates are approximate and, for Sefertepe, still at working-note level pending full publication.
How do I get there?
Because Sefertepe is an active excavation on the eastern plateau rather than a ticketed site, it is not something to reach on your own. The practical way to see it in context — with Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe and the Şanlıurfa Museum — is a guided Taş Tepeler route. See how to visit and the full route →
Frequently asked questions
Where is Sefertepe?
In Eskikale village, Viranşehir district, on the eastern edge of the Şanlıurfa plateau — the most easterly known Taş Tepeler site.
How old is Sefertepe?
Pre-Pottery Neolithic, spanning a long period. Its T-pillars belong to the earlier tradition; the excavated complex, faces and bead are reported as PPNB (~8,500 years), and the skull room at roughly 10,000–10,500 years. Survey literature gives a build date near 8000 BC.
Is Sefertepe older than Göbekli Tepe?
The excavated finds are somewhat younger — Göbekli Tepe's earliest structures date to about 9500–9000 BCE, while Sefertepe's carved faces and bead are reported around 8,500 years old. But both belong to the same T-pillar tradition, and Sefertepe's own dating is still being resolved.
Sources
- Şanlıurfa Neolithic Research Project / Taş Tepeler — Sefertepe site profile.
- Göbekli Tepe dating — earliest structures c. 9500–9000 BCE, in use to c. 8000 BCE.
- The Community Garden — Sefertepe field notes (working date ~10,500 years; awaiting publication).