“12 Tepe”: Turkey Renames Historical Armenian Portasar

The Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism, Nuri Ersoy, announced in a conversation with journalists that they are planning to change the name of Göbekli Tepe. The site is known as the historical Armenian Portasar, which had already been renamed by the Turks as Göbekli Tepe, as reported by Ermenihaber.

Ersoy mentioned the reason behind the renaming. According to him, there are 11 other heights within a 100 km radius of Göbekli Tepe with a zero point. “Therefore, we will name it '12 Heights' (12 Tepe). It will become widely recognized. Currently, extensive work is being done relating to '12 Heights', and we will present the results in September,” the minister stated, adding that several significant archaeological centers have also been discovered around Portasar.

It is worth noting that the ruins of Portasar are included in the list of the oldest places in the world. They have been under investigation by German and Turkish archaeologists since 1994. The history of this archaeological site dates back to the 10th millennium BC. It houses what is considered the oldest temple in the world, with its standing columns featuring carved figures of exotic plants and animals. The area has also revealed figures of people from antiquity.