7,000-year-old human footprints unearthed in eastern Türkiye
ISTANBUL, 1 October (BelTA — Anadolu) — Türkiye’s Culture and Tourism
Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced on Tuesday that five human
footprints dating back to 5200 BC were discovered during excavations in
Hatay, southeastern Türkiye.
“Steps taken 7,000 years ago in
Anatolia are back in the spotlight. We made a very rare discovery during
excavations at Tell Kurdu Hoyuk in Reyhanli Karahuyuk, Hatay,” Ersoy
said in a statement on the Turkish social media platform Nsosyal.
The
footprints were uncovered in archaeological layers from the Ubaid
period, dated to 5200 BC. Ersoy said that they were left by people
walking on rain-soaked mud, offering a unique testimony from thousands
of years ago.
“With our Legacy for the Future Project, we
continue to carry the traces of the past into the future, preserve,
explore, and introduce Türkiye’s historical heritage to the world,
determined to achieve in four years what took 60 years to accomplish,”
Ersoy added.
The minister also said the footprints were unearthed
on Aug. 21, 2025, in trench 8564, and were found in a clay fill layer
exposed to heavy rain or water.
Considered among the rare finds
in Anatolian archaeology, the discovery provides significant insights
into the social and cultural life of the period.
