Its structures are therefore 11,000 years old, or more, 6,000 years before Stonehenge and the great pyramids of Giza, making them humanity's oldest known monumental site, built not for shelter but for some other purpose.
Archaeologists still consider the place a mysterious riddle that predates Earth's great civilizations by thousands of years.
Many things if not everything in Göbekli Tepe constitute an issue in explaining why, how and when. From the techniques used to erect the monoliths without the help of animals to the fact that no habitative human settlements were found near this temple except the ruins of what was possibly a small village.
The site was believed to be a shrine, a temple, but hypotheses have been made about the structures being an astronomical observatory due to its configuration and alignment with different stars, particularly Sirius.
Discoveries in the region suggest a pivotal moment, marking the onset of revolutions in agriculture, religion, and society. The complex of temples or shrines at Göbekli Tepe might have symbolized fertility, life, or abundance, given the presence of reliefs depicting animals.
The people of Göbekli Tepe, with sufficient natural resources, found the time to write a new chapter in the history of life. Archaeologists have read only a small part of that story.