Since the earliest days of human civilization, humans have worshipped gods and built temples in their honor. Today, many of these impressive structures are still standing, a testament to the ingenuity of our most ancient forebears. Studying or visiting one of these temples gives us fascinating insight into what our ancestors believed and how they lived their lives. Here are eight of the oldest temples in the world and who built them.

1. Göbekli Tepe, Turkey: 11,600 Years Old

Turkey seems to have been the nexus of the ancient world. It doesn’t matter which ancient civilization you’re talking about, at some point or another they seem to have had a foothold in what is modern Turkey. Walk through a farmer’s field in Turkey today, and you’re likely to trip over some ancient artifact or ruin.

It is no surprise then that Turkey is home to the oldest known temple in existence, Göbekli Tepe . It is believed that Göbekli Tepe was first erected at some point between 10,000 and 9,000 BC in southern Turkey. To put this into perspective, this makes the temple older than the invention of the wheel or the beginning of human agriculture or animal husbandry!

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Historians believe that the temple was built by early hunter-gatherers. The site consists of a number of stone circles decorated with pillars adorned with engravings of animals and priests. It gives us a rare insight into the beliefs of the people of Upper Mesopotamia during this period.

The site itself wasn’t discovered until the late 20th century. As work has gone on, the site has proven to be surprisingly massive. Various groups of archaeologists from all over the world are currently working at the site. Some experts claim that it could take upwards of another 50 years to uncover the whole site and many more years after that to fully understand everything that has been found.

Read more: Ancient Origins