Sefertepe lies in Eskikale village, Viranşehir district, on the eastern edge of the Şanlıurfa plateau in south-eastern Türkiye — the most easterly known site of the Taş Tepeler group, the far side of the landscape from Göbekli Tepe and nearer the Karahan Tepe side. It is a Pre-Pottery Neolithic settlement, dated by on-site working notes to around 10,500 years ago, which places it after the earliest layers of Göbekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe.
- Village
- Eskikale, Viranşehir
- Province
- Şanlıurfa, Türkiye
- Position
- Most easterly Taş Tepeler site
- Age
- ~10,500 years (Pre-Pottery Neolithic)
Where exactly is Sefertepe?
Sefertepe sits on the plateau east of the city of Şanlıurfa, in the district of Viranşehir. That location matters. It is the frontier of the Taş Tepeler — the point where the Stone Hills landscape reaches furthest east, toward the Tigris basin. On-site observation suggests its architecture blends building traditions from both the Euphrates region to the west and the Tigris region to the east, which is exactly what you would expect of a settlement on the edge of two worlds. Göbekli Tepe, by contrast, lies on the western side of the same landscape, closer to Şanlıurfa itself.
Sefertepe is the eastern doorway of the Stone Hills — a settlement built where two river worlds meet.
How old is Sefertepe?
Sefertepe belongs to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic, the era before ceramic vessels, when the first permanent settlements were taking shape. The working date used on site is around 10,500 years ago. That is genuinely ancient — older than Stonehenge by some seven millennia, older than the first cities of Mesopotamia — but within the Taş Tepeler it is relatively late: the earliest exposed structures at Göbekli Tepe were built between about 9500 and 9000 BCE, and Karahan Tepe appears to be just as old or older. Sefertepe therefore captures a slightly later moment in the same long story. As with every claim on this site, we treat the figure as a working date: precise, published radiocarbon results are still awaited.
A short Taş Tepeler timeline
Placing Sefertepe among its neighbours makes the sequence clearer:
- c. 9500–9000 BCEGöbekli Tepe — the earliest exposed monumental enclosures with T-shaped pillars are raised at the western edge of the landscape.
- c. 9500 BCE onKarahan Tepe — the sister site to the east, with rock-cut chambers and rows of pillars, appears just as early or earlier.
- c. 8500 BCESefertepe — around 10,500 years ago, the eastern frontier settlement with its skull room and carved faces is in use.
- c. 8000 BCEGöbekli Tepe falls out of use as the farming world spreads across the region.
Dates are approximate and, for Sefertepe, still at working-note level pending full publication.
How do I get there?
Because Sefertepe is an active excavation on the eastern plateau rather than a ticketed site, it is not something to reach on your own. The practical way to see it in context — with Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe and the Şanlıurfa Museum — is a guided Taş Tepeler route. See how to visit and the full route →
Frequently asked questions
Where is Sefertepe?
In Eskikale village, Viranşehir district, on the eastern edge of the Şanlıurfa plateau — the most easterly known Taş Tepeler site.
How old is Sefertepe?
Pre-Pottery Neolithic; a working on-site date of around 10,500 years ago, later than the earliest layers of Göbekli Tepe (about 9500 BCE) and Karahan Tepe.
Is Sefertepe older than Göbekli Tepe?
No — on current evidence it is somewhat younger. Göbekli Tepe's earliest structures date to about 9500–9000 BCE, while Sefertepe's working date is around 8500 BCE.
Sources
- Şanlıurfa Neolithic Research Project / Taş Tepeler — Sefertepe site profile.
- Göbekli Tepe dating — earliest structures c. 9500–9000 BCE, in use to c. 8000 BCE.
- The Community Garden — Sefertepe field notes (working date ~10,500 years; awaiting publication).