The ceremony
In September 2025, excavations formally began at Ayanlar Höyük, west of Şanlıurfa, with a symbolic first strike of the shovel by Türkiye's Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, and Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko of Mikasa of Japan. The event brought one of the Taş Tepeler program's developing sites into the spotlight.
A Türkiye–Japan partnership
The dig marks a new international partnership, extending a cultural relationship that began nearly forty years ago when Japanese archaeologists started long-term excavations at Kalehöyük in Kırşehir in 1985. During her visit, Princess Akiko also toured the Harbetsuvan excavation area, Karahan Tepe, and the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum.
For Ayanlar Höyük — until now one of the quieter, less-published sites in the network — sustained excavation and an international team could quickly change how much we know.
Why it matters
Ayanlar sits on the western edge of the Taş Tepeler world, and pushing serious excavation into that ground helps map how far these early Neolithic communities really spread. It's a reminder that Taş Tepeler is not a finished story but an actively growing one — with new hands, new partners, and new trenches opening each season.