Göbekli Tepe
The oldest known temple of mankind
11000 years before our time…Göbekli Tepe is the oldest known temple of mankind and is located in south-eastern Turkey near Sanliurfa.
The T-shaped pillars are approximately 11,000 years old, making them 6,000 years older than Stonehenge. The pillars stand in circular formations, and some of them feature wonderful animal reliefs: foxes, wild boars, cranes, vultures, scorpions, snakes and insects, as well as abstract shapes.
The people who built this monumental sanctuary were hunters and gatherers. They knew nothing of agriculture, the wheel or metalworking, yet they were able to erect stones weighing up to ten tonnes with extreme precision.
We photographed the excavation site for GEO magazine and accompanied archaeologist Klaus Schmidt and his team. Using my lighting technology, it was possible to vividly portray the wonderful stone reliefs on the pillars and the craftsmanship of Stone Age people.
The images were published worldwide in magazines such as GEO, Smithsonian Magazine, Time, GEO France, Archaeology and on the cover of Klaus Schmidt’s book.
It was one of my most interesting assignments and I am still very grateful to archaeologist Klaus Schmidt for giving me the opportunity to photograph this unique place.
Section D
T-shaped pillars standing in a circle in section D.
Pillar 18
T-shaped pillar Nr 18 with a carved relief of a human arm and a fox in section D. This pillar may indicate that they represent stylized humans.
Section B
T-shaped pillar with a carved relief of a fox in section B.
Section D
Opposite view of section D with the T-shaped pillars arranged in a circle.
Pillar 43
Predator sculpture in section C.
Pillar 43
Detail of the predator sculpture
Pillar 33
Carved relief of cranes, snakes, duck-like birds and other animals in section D.
Pillar 2
Carved relief of a bull, a fox and a crane in section A.
Pillar 38
Carved relief of a boar, a fox and three birds in section D
Vulture Stone
Pillar with carved animals an a headless human in section D.
Lion
T-shaped pillar with a carved lion.
Snake
Carved relief of a snake on a pillar in section D.
Pillar 12
Carved relief of a boar, a fox and birds in section C.
Pillar 30
Carved relief of snakes, tetrapod vertrebrates and H sign in section D.
Section B
Section D
T-shaped pillars standing in a circle in section D.
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