Karahantepe is one of the most recent archaeological sites in Turkey, discovered in 1997. It's located in Tek Tek Mountains National Park, about 50 kilometers (32 miles) from the center of Sanliurfa. The excavations started in 2019 and so far more than 250 obelisks in dozens of structures are discovered at the site. These are very similar to those at Göbeklitepe which has a history of 12 thousand years in Anatolia.
The Neolitic site has some monumental structures and large obelisks made of limestone. These are mostly circular stone structures with T-shaped columns fixed to the ground in that area. The obelisks, which most probably symbolized people, have human and animal reliefs carved on their surfaces, which maybe are telling mythological stories. During the excavations, a human statue with a leopard on its back was also unearthed.
These monumental structures were not houses or palaces, they were built for a special purpose and were most likely used for some sort of religious ceremonies. They were buried after their functions were completed.
The excavations are still being carried out at Karahantepe but the site is also open to visitor. Some of the findings from the excavations can be seen at Sanliurfa Archeology Museum today.