UNESCO lists Catalhoyuk as world heritage

UNESCO World Heritage Committee accepted the Catalhoyuk Neolithic settlement into the World Heritage list unanimously at a conference held in St. Petersburg. The decision which was made by experts from a total 21 countries constituting the World Heritage Committee was based on the fact that Catalhoyuk met the basic criteria of the World Heritage Treaty and maintained its authenticity and integrity with a select value of universal quality. The report on which the committee decision is based says that Catalhoyuk, dating back to 7400 B.C., has uniquely witnessed a certain period of the Neolithic era and enjoyed an urban plan based on social understanding and the ideal of equality which represents an important stage in human history with its settlement mode. After the inclusion of Catalhoyuk in the World Heritage list, the number of areas in Turkey which have been included in the list climbed to 11.