ISTANBUL, July 1 (Xinhua) -- As a recovery in global tourism is on the horizon after the devastating blow of the COVID-19 pandemic, Turkey is looking to the future, further tapping ancient sites in its south-east, once part of Mesopotamia.

The country on Sunday launched "Mesopotamia," a brand created to promote the tourism potential of the region, home to civilizations. "No matter from which side you look at it," Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said at the event, "this land has a unique accumulation to share with humanity."

The tourism-focused promotion and branding for the southeastern Anatolia region is planned to involve nine provinces near Iraq and Syria, two other countries founded upon Mesopotamia, a cradle of the world's first civilizations.

"This comprehensive initiative aims to appeal to visitors interested in archaeological sites, traditional and original architecture, religious sites belonging to many faiths, and a rich gastronomy," a source familiar with the project told Xinhua.

When this region was known in recent history for armed conflicts between countries or factions, the source said, "We want to change this image and turn it into something memorable for travelers on the lookout for something different."

Turkey relies on tourism revenues for its foreign currency needs, as the economy has been heavily hit by the global health crisis. Discovery of new prehistoric sites in Turkey's southeastern Sanliurfa province near Syria would also contribute to tourism, the source added.

"We have discovered 11 more major hills on a 100-kilometer line around Gobeklitepe," a 12,000-year-old site believed to be the oldest temple site across the world, Ersoy said, adding that more details are to be presented in September.

The area, he said, could even be referred to as the "pyramids of southeast Turkey."

Gobeklitepe, on UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List since 2011, had the premises renovated in 2019, and is a popular destination for global tourists.

Scientists found in the late 1990s another Neolithic site, Karahantepe, around 35 km away from Gobeklitepe, and it has been excavated by a team of archaeologists who believe it may be even older than Gobeklitepe.

"The tools used in this region showed that a hunter and gatherer community lived there thousands of years ago," Necmi Karul, an academic from the Istanbul University, has told Xinhua.

Karul, who is heading the excavations in Karahantepe, said archaeologists would find the answer to their questions regarding the Neolithic era and human practices in this period.

Gobeklitepe and Karahantepe share such similarities as T-shaped stone pillars and relief carvings of animals, making it very important to understand the people who built them, Karul added.

Once fully excavated, according to officials, this new site will also open to visitors for cultural tourism. Enditem

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