Archaeologists are reportedly concerned at the commercialisation of Turkey’s ancient site of Gobekli Tepe, believed to date back to the 10th millennium BC and thought to be the oldest known place of worship in the world. 

The Dogus Group, one of Turkey's biggest holding companies, has according to Al-Monitor pledged $15mn for the excavation and restoration of Gobekli Tepe, with the company's head referring to the invaluable archaeological treasure as Turkey's “zero point in time”, even though the origins of the people who gathered there are unknown.

Istanbul-based independent researcher Arie Amaya-Akkermans told Al-Monitor: “One would think that a touristic campaign to popularise the site of Gobekli Tepe would have mostly positive repercussions, such as increasing numbers of tourists and the diffusion of public scholarship. Heritage professionals nevertheless worry about the safety of the site, first of all, and there are concerns about sustainable development, whether the region is ready to accommodate the numbers expected and whether large companies will out-price locals in market competition.”

Archaeologist Cigdem Koksal Schmidt, wife of the late Klaus Schmidt, the German archaeologist who oversaw the excavation of Gobekli Tepe from the mid-90s until his death in 2014, claimed in 2018 after the UNESCO World Heritage site was reopened to the public that concrete was being poured during the renovations. Other experts agreed that it appeared concrete was being used and criticised the practice. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism denied such a practice was taking place at Gobekli Tepe, located in Sanliurfa Province, Southeastern Anatolia.

A €6.6mn roof structure was built around and over the site during the construction project to attract tourists to the site, but experts said it was of questionable aesthetic taste.

In 2019, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proclaimed the "Year of Gobekli Tepe". Two million people reportedly visited during the first seven months of last year.

The branding of Gobekli Tepe has been boosted by Netflix show "Atiye" ("The Gift"), the second original Turkish series produced for the streaming giant and starring Beren Saat, one of Turkey's most famous actresses, as Atiye, a successful painter in Istanbul who frequently draws and paints a science-fiction-esque symbol that coincidentally has been discovered in the excavation of Gobekli Tepe.

Meanwhile, "Rafadan Tayfa: Gobeklitepe," the sequel to a popular animated children's film set in the ancient site, has lately dominated the Turkish box office, breaking domestic and international records for the genre.