This is a replica stele from the Göbeklitepe Archaeological site, specifically central Stele P.18 at the centre of Structure D. This site is about 12,000 years old, dated to approximately 9500-8000 BCE, and is currently considered the world’s oldest purpose-built religious site, predating Stonehenge by about 6,000 years. 

This limestone pillar stands at 2.6m (8’-6”) tall from the base and weighs approximately 1,400 kgs, including the base. The pillar is decorated with relief patterns seen across the Göbeklitepe archaeological site. There is a motif of a hand and arm down the narrow front side, a pattern of ‘H’ type shapes and a foxlike creature adorns the wider side. 

In 1963, Universities of Istanbul and Chicago discovered this ancient site. In 1995, the German Archaeological Institute and Şanlıurfa Museum found the stone sculptures. In 2018, it was accepted on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. In 2021, a replica of the stele was placed in the United Nations North Lawn garden with New York City’s skyscrapers as a backdrop highlighting the comparison of engineering across 12,000 years. The site importance is that researchers believed 10,000 years ago was the primitive life of hunter-gathers. Instead, this discovery broke previous beliefs and now new concepts of humanity emerges for this time period.  There would need to be consideration for the mounting of these massive stones, intricate carvings, and a reverence for the symbols depicted. 

The Stele was given by Turkiye to the United Nations in September 2021. After addressing the 76th UN General Assembly on the 21st of September 2021, President Erdoğan visited the replica of the obelisk on display in the UN garden.

In 2018, Göbeklitepe was accepted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as one of the first examples of human-made monumental architecture and the transition of humanity from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to cooperative farm-centric living.