Boncuklu Tarla: Older Than Göbekli Tepe?
✓ Last reviewed: 29 September 2026 — Verified and updated by İlyas Bayrak, licensed Turkish guide (licence 070867), with the My Turkey Adventure editorial team. Prices, opening hours, transport fares and visa rules reflect the latest 2026 guidance. Quick Answer: Boncuklu Tarla is a 12,000-year-old Neolithic settlement in Mardin, Turkey, whose earliest layers may predate parts of the famous Göbekli Tepe. For UK travellers, it is best visited as part of a multi-day private Turkey tour of the country's southeast, with a regional 5-day itinerary leg typically starting from £1,500 per person, excluding international flights. At Karahantepe, with its human head and "T-infantry", I find abundant human depictions, unlike at Gobekli Tepe. By coordinating a 09:30 visit with the excavation team, I ensure an environment entirely free of mass-tourism coaches. At Gobekli Tepe, I find the excavation area covered by a special membrane roof, but the surrounding walkways are completely exposed. As summer temperatures reach 42°C, I schedule the visit for the 08:30 gate opening. In the sun-scorched, ancient lands of Southeast Turkey, a name whispered with increasing frequency among archaeologists and intrepid travellers is Boncuklu Tarla . For years, Göbekli Tepe has held the crown as the ground zero of human civilisation, the world's first temple, rewriting our history books. But now, just a few hours' drive away, another site is vying for a place in the prehistoric pantheon. The headlines are bold, often claiming it's "older than Göbekli Tepe," but the story, as with all things buried for 12 millennia, is far more complex and fascinating. As expert guides to the deepest corners of this incredible country, we at My Turkey Adventure (TÜRSAB Licence No: 15764 ) have been watching the developments at Boncuklu Tarla with immense excitement. This isn't just another old ruin; it's a key piece in the puzzle of humanity's greatest transition—from nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled society. F
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