The remains of a "public building" have been discovered during archeological excavations in Mardin, southeastern Türkiye. Preliminary estimates signal that the building is thought to be 12,000 years old.
"An important part of the building, which was built three times one-on-top-of-the-other and dates back to 10,000 B.C., has been unearthed," said archaeologist Ergül Kodaş, who leads a 15-person team at the excavation area at the Boncuklu Tarla (Beaded Field) site in Mardin province.
Kodaş, who is also an academic at Artuklu University, told Anadolu Agency (AA): "An entire building was unearthed. These are large-sized structures that are not residential and have been used by many individuals or groups."
Archaeological excavations that started in 2012 by the Mardin Museum Directorate continue in the area, which has hosted 25 civilizations throughout history, including the Sumerians, Assyrians, Romans, Abbasids, Seljuks and Ottomans.
A large number of finds from the Epipaleolithic period to the late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B era have so far been unearthed at Boncuklu Tarla, which covers an area of nearly 2.5 hectares (about 6 acres).
During the excavations, architectural remains, dwellings, private buildings, public buildings, skeletons of 130 individuals, more than 100,000 beads, and a temple thought to be 11,300 years old have been found so far.
The last temple found in Boncuklu Tarla is estimated to be 12,000 years old, maybe even 1,000 years older than Göbeklitepe (Potbelly Hill) the world's oldest known religious sanctuary.
