Çatalhöyük, Turkey
A 9,000-year-old Anatolian Town
Visitors touring the excavations under the newest protective structure at Çatalhöyük.
Çatalhöyük, a site dating back nearly 10,000 years, has been the focus of extensive archaeological investigation and conservation efforts since 1993 under the direction of Dr. Ian Hodder. Global Heritage Fund (GHF) has funded conservation and community development work at Çatalhöyük since 2006. This ancient site is home to some of the world’s earliest mural art, and was thought to have a population of over 30,000 people, one of the world’s earliest cities.
Many regard Çatalhöyük as being central to the origin of civilization in Turkey and the Middle East. In recent years, local, regional, and national interest in Turkey has increased regarding the development of the site for tourism and economic benefit for the local communities. Currently, Çatalhöyük is on the Turkish tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. The site’s inscription would make it the only Neolithic site on the World Heritage list from the Middle East.
