By Tim Binnall
The mayor of the Turkish city wherein Gobekli Tepe is located recently offered a fantastic theory for the ancient archaeological site's origins: aliens. The eyebrow-raising assessment reportedly occurred earlier this week as Zeynel Abidin Beyazgül, who presides over the community of Urfa, was speaking to Turkish media outlet Milliyet. In discussing the 12,000-year-old complex, the mayor mused that "every person who sees Gobekli Tepe, scientist or normal person, states that there is a mystery and secrets here. But they can't find it." Beyazgül then boldly declared that "I will tell you about these mysteries and secrets," which he apparently believes center around an extraterrestrial hypothesis.
To that end, the mayor surprisingly argued that "the statues in Gobekli Tepe depict something other than humans. They seem to be coming from somewhere else. They remind me of aliens." Lest one think that Beyazgül was merely waxing poetic, he pointed out a number of elements about the site which informed that thinking. Specifically, the mayor noted that the aforementioned sculptures show people who are wearing attire that appears to be out of place for the era in which the complex was built. "People of the time wore pelts, but here, we see V-shaped motives," he noted, wondering "if the first humans wore pelts, who are these people?"
Additionally, Beyazgül pointed out the peculiar depiction of handbags in some of the artwork at Gobekli Tepe and observed that "those purses are akin to the modern purses of today. If we think that those purses were made by the men of the time, we would be wrong. The probability of another living creature making that purse is more likely." Beyond the artwork at the site, the mayor also expressed skepticism that the massive stones used to construct the complex could have been moved by humans and, instead, asked "did beings from outer space come and do this?"
While the theory that extraterrestrials may have had a hand in Gobekli Tepe is not a particularly new idea to ancient alien enthusiasts, the fact that Beyazgül seemingly endorsed the concept is rather remarkable. That said, unless some Earth-shattering artifact is unearthed at the site someday, the possibility that extraterrestrials had a hand in building the complex is likely to remain a matter of conjecture, despite the mayor's tantalizing assertions. With that in mind, what's your take on the Beyazgül's musings? Do you think aliens built Gobekli Tepe or was it the work of human hands? Share your theory with us at the Coast to Coast AM Facebook page.