Çayönü
Near the village of Sesverenpınar, among the Hilar rocks Çayönü hill was first settled in c. 7500 BC, and was continuously inhabited until 5000 BC - making it the first discivered site of human collective settlement. The soft limestone of the area provided the perfect location for shelter among rich agricultural lands, and encouraged the early neolithic man and woman to gather for the first time, forming communities and the first societies in history.
Remains have been found from the earlier habitation, one of the most important archaeological finds of its era.[citation needed] We can see evidence of an early city from the Neolithic period, when nomadic hunter-gatherers began to settle in one place. Excavation of Çayönü, one of the largest and best-preserved sites of its kind was begun in 1963 by Istanbul University and the University of Chicago and continues today.
The site was later populated by the (), and a marvellous necropolis remains open to explore, with tombs carved straight into the rock, and intricate carvings adorning the complex.
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