The site is about 30 km west of Şanlıurfa, associated with Ayanlar / Hut village and Gre Hut, and its 2025 excavation launch created a new Turkish-Japanese research anchor for the Taş Tepeler network.
What to notice
New Taş Tepeler excavation publicly launched in September 2025. The mound is associated with Ayanlar / Hut village and the local name Gre Hut. Current notes describe a flat mound about 10 m high. Older records connect Ayanlar Höyük / Gre Hut with early-to-middle PPNB material. Surface and on-site material includes flint blades, flakes, points, scrapers, basalt grinding stones, pestles, stone vessel fragments, and a stone weight fragment. Terracotta fragments from multiple later periods are reported and should not be confused with the Neolithic evidence. Turkish-Japanese collaboration is a major public identity layer, but it is not evidence for a specific structure. Princess Akiko of Mikasa attended the launch ceremony according to public reporting. Structure plans, phases, and object contexts are not yet ready for deep public claims. Expected monumental architecture remains a research lead until excavation publication.