Archaeologists Trace Proto-Turkic Presence in Central Anatolia Back 2,600 Years at Kerkenes Mound

In a groundbreaking revelation from the heart of Türkiye, archaeologists working at the Kerkenes Mound in Yozgat’s Sorgun district have uncovered evidence suggesting that the architectural and cultural roots of Proto-Turkic peoples in Anatolia may reach as far back as 2,600 years. The discovery, led by Prof. Dr. Şevket Dönmez under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s “Heritage for the Future” project, challenges long-held assumptions about the timeline of early Turkic presence west of the Eurasian steppes.

Excavations in the Şahmuratlı Village area — known locally as Şehitlik, a traditional Turkic burial zone — revealed the remains of two stone-built kurgans and a large circular structure measuring nearly 60 meters in diameter. According to Prof. Dönmez, the team identified the structure as a geoglyph: a monumental design constructed with stones on the earth’s surface, visible from high above.

“These stone-built mounds and the circular geoglyph were planned together as part of a funerary and sacred complex — what we can define as a kut alanı, or ritual space of sanctity,” Dönmez explained. “The architectural and symbolic unity we see here has clear parallels in Scythian and Göktürk sites across Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Its emergence in Central Anatolia around 550 BCE shows that Proto-Turkic communities were active in this region far earlier than previously believed.”

The find may fundamentally reshape scholarly understanding of Anatolia’s Iron Age landscape. Dönmez emphasized that the coexistence of kurgans and sacred enclosures — previously known only from steppe contexts — now appears in the very center of modern Türkiye, suggesting a state-level organizational capacity consistent with early nomadic polities.

He further noted that Herodotus’ Histories mentions Scythian dominance in Asia Minor for 28 years before the Persian expansion — a period that now aligns chronologically with the Kerkenes evidence. “We must begin to consider that a steppe-style state structure, with its ideological and architectural expressions, once existed here,” said Dönmez. “Kerkenes has become one of the most critical regions for understanding the Proto-Turkic and Scythian heritage of Anatolia.”

The team plans to expand their research around the mountain and surrounding plains, where additional kurgan formations have been detected. Future investigations could confirm whether the area served as a political or ritual center during the Early Iron Age, transforming Kerkenes into a key focus for both Turkish history and heritage tourism.

Cover photo: The excavation site of a 2,600-year-old Scythian-style kurgan and geoglyph complex at Kerkenes Mound in Yozgat, central Türkiye. Credit: IHA