By Tim Binnall
Suggesting that the 'monolith madness' which gripped the globe late last year is not quite over yet, a rather sizeable new piece recently appeared in Turkey near the famed ancient site Gobekli Tepe. Measuring approximately ten feet tall, the object was reportedly first noticed this past Friday in the Turkish province of Sanliurfa. Intriguingly, this particular monolith boasts a message in the form of an inscription reading "look at the sky, see the moon."
When 'mystery monoliths' were a bonafide craze back in December, most of the pieces that appeared in various communities around the world were met with a mix of delight and slight annoyance from residents and local authorities. However, the newfound piece in Turkey has prompted a rather serious response from officials as they have actually dispatched armed guards to watch over the object and have launched an investigation into who could have created and then delivered it to that location.
One possible reason for the seriousness with which the monolith is being treated is that it was found in a field not too far from Gobekli Tepe, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site afforded certain protections because it is the home to an ancient temple believed to be thousands of years older than Stonehenge. Although the object was not directly placed within the historic spot, one imagines that authorities wish to dissuade anyone from trying to do so.
Be that as it may, the presence of armed guards surrounding the roped-off monolith does not appear to have dissuaded visitors from checking out the curious sight as Turkish residents are said to be flocking to the piece in order to get a closer look at it. Amazingly, one couple was so intrigued by news of the mysterious object that they actually journeyed a whopping 900 miles to see it. Time will tell whether the Turkish piece is the start of a second wave for the weird monolith fad or merely the last big moment for a craze that seemed to have died out weeks ago.