The short version
Ayanlar Höyük is a Neolithic site west of Şanlıurfa, and one of the sites being actively excavated under the Taş Tepeler program — with a new push begun in 2025 through a Türkiye–Japan partnership. Its significance so far is largely geographic: it extends the known network of these early communities further west, into ground still being opened.
Because the excavation is early, its finds, architecture, and phasing are genuinely emerging — this is a site to watch rather than one with a settled story.
A developing picture
We are deliberately cautious about specific claims here; much of what will define Ayanlar is still in the ground or awaiting publication. What it already contributes is a reminder that the Taş Tepeler world was broad — not a cluster of a few famous hills but a densely settled landscape whose full extent is still being mapped.
Common questions
What is Ayanlar Höyük?
A Neolithic site west of Şanlıurfa, actively being excavated under the Taş Tepeler program (with a 2025 Türkiye–Japan partnership). It extends the known network westward; its detailed story is still emerging.
Sources & further reading2 references
- Clare, L. (2020). Göbekli Tepe, Turkey. A brief summary of research at a new World Heritage Site (2015–2019). e-Forschungsberichte des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts 2020(2): 81–88.
- The Tepe Telegrams (official research blog of the Göbekli Tepe Project, DAI). The Tepe Telegrams. Deutsches Archäologisches Institut. link Accessible, authoritative running commentary from the excavation team.
Full bibliography: the Taş Tepeler reference library →