Çayönü
The site of Çayönü, in southeastern Turkey | |
Çayönü Shown within Near East Çayönü Çayönü (Turkey) | |
| Location | Diyarbakır Province, Turkey |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°12′59″N 39°43′35″E / 38.21639°N 39.72639°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Founded | 8,630 BC |
| Abandoned | 6,800 BC |
| Periods | Neolithic |
Çayönü Tepesi is a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B settlement in southeastern Turkey which prospered from circa 8,630 to 6,800 BC. It is located in Diyarbakır Province forty kilometres north-west of Diyarbakır, one hundred and forty kilometres north-east of Şanlıurfa, at the foot of the Taurus mountains. It lies near the Boğazçay, a tributary of the upper Tigris River and the Bestakot, an intermittent stream. It is an early example of agriculture.
Çayönü Tepesi belongs to the "Taş Tepeler" monumental tradition of Göbekli Tepe, a style found in all the Pre-Pottery Neolithic sites of the Urfa region. There are some variations though, such as using decorated stelae, but without the characteristic T-shape of Göbekli Tepe.