The mystery at Kültepe to be solved: Korean scientists join excavations

Experts from the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Korea are participating in the excavations at the Kültepe Kaniş/Karum Mound, one of the oldest settlements in Anatolia.

It is hoped that the excavations will yield new information about the Assyrian colonies that lived in Anatolia before the Hittites.

It has been reported that a delegation of experts from the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Korea will join the excavation work at the Kültepe Kaniş/Karum Mound, where the first written documents in Anatolia were found.

Kültepe Kaniş-Karum Mound Excavation Head Prof. Dr. Fikri Kulakoğlu stated, "We have had collaborations with the Koreans since 2016; we were working with Korea University. I told them about Kayseri. Kayseri is a city of civilizations waiting to be discovered."

Kulakoğlu expressed that they expect a scientific delegation of experts from the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Korea to join the Kültepe excavations in 2024.

Emphasizing that a protocol will be signed and an agreement will be made regarding the excavations, Kulakoğlu also noted that they will provide support to the South Korean researchers in every sense.