Çatalhöyük, Turkey
A 9,000-year-old Anatolian Town
Visitors touring the excavations under the newest protective structure at Çatalhöyük.
In 2009-2010, significant progress was made at Çatalhöyük, Turkey, including:
Planning
- GHF funded the second major shelter structure at the site, leading to its being opened to the public for the first time
- Monitoring relative humidity within the shelters is contributing to a greater understanding of intra-shelter micro-climate fluctuations and informing the most appropriate approaches to the site’s conservation
Conservation
- 20 excavated buildings in the 4040 area were consolidated and stabilized in 2009 alone
- Exposed wall paintings have been treated to enable long-term conservation and to allow in situ display
Community
- Community-based conservation training has resulted in over 60 local workers skilled in site conservation
- Community engagement also included guide training, site employment, school visitation and education.
- Signage has been improved to create a richer visitor experience
- Visitation has increased from zero to 6,000 visitors per year
Partnerships
- GHF enabled the first Conservation Program budget at the site, over $300,000 in total
- GHF funding also helped the project secure equal matching funding from in-country corporate and foundation donors of over $800,000 since 2004
