Göbekli Tepe | Turkey

Postcard
Located in the Germuş mountains of south-eastern Anatolia, this property presents monumental circular and rectangular megalithic structures, which were erected by hunter-gatherers between 9,600 and 8,200 BCE. This is probably the first human-built holy place.

One of the best ways to comprehend just how ancient Göbekli Tepe is, is to compare it to other things that are considered incredibly ancient. Göbekli Tepe predates Stonehenge, one of the most famous prehistoric construction feats in human history, by over 6,000 years. The site predates the era of Sumer, considered one of the earliest true civilizations, and the invention of writing, by a similar, 6,000-ish year margin. To really put things in perspective, there was about as much time between the construction of Göbekli Tepe and the construction of Stonehenge as there was between the construction of Stonehenge and today.

Göbekli Tepe is a UNESCO World Heritage site.