Referred to as the "world’s oldest temple," the circular structures and megaliths of Gobekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey, near the Syrian border, were erected by hunter-gatherers between 9600 and 8200 BC. Dozens of T-shaped pillars as tall as 16 feet and weighing 10 tons were dragged into place on the limestone plateau, lifted to form enclosures, and carved with human figurines and animals.

But since excavations began in the 1990s, led by German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt, it remains uncertain whether Gobekli Tepe was a permanent settlement, or intended solely for ritualistic practices.

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