Bahattin ÇELİK

Recent excavations in Southeastern Anatolia have provided important data on the Neolithic Period. Especially the excavations in the Upper Tigris Region have revealed the characteristics of the domestic settlements in the region. However, research on the domestic settlements in the Urfa region is quite limited. In the Urfa region, Pre-Pottery Neolithic centers such as Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe, Sefer Tepe, Sayburç, which contain monumental cult structures and are symbolized by T-shaped obelisks, are being excavated. When we look at the structures uncovered in these centers, it is understood that they are not of domestic nature, but rather cultic public buildings. In the Urfa region, only the settlement of Çakmaktepe in the Epi-Paleolithic and Pre-Pottery Neolithic Period has been excavated with domestic features. The Kejo Harabesi in Siverek district of Urfa, which is a very wet and fertile region where limestone plateaus and basalt plateaus intersect, is an important example in terms of understanding the characteristics of domestic settlements. The finds recovered from the Kejo Harabesi settlement include Byblos type arrowheads. Early arrowheads similar to El-Khiam or Helwan were not found in the settlement. Moreover, the absence of Çayönü Tools indicates that the Kejo Harabesi settlement belongs to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B phase. Domestic settlements in the region are generally located on rocky hills and excavations reveal that these settlements belong to various phases of the Neolithic period. Excavations at Kejo Harabesi will contribute to the understanding of the domestic life of the Urfa Region.

Keyword: Pre-Pottery Neolithic, Domestic settlements, Urfa Region, Kejo Harabesi