Can you tell me about Çatalhöyük?

Dr. dig responds:
Çatalhöyük (pronounced Cha-tal-hoy-yuk) is located in central Turkey. Çatalhöyük is a Neolithic city that dates back approximately 9,000 years (between 7,000 and 9,000 B.C.). It is perhaps the most spectacular of all early farming settlements. Çatalhöyük was one of the largest and earliest prehistoric cities in the Middle East. The site is about 31 acres in area and about 69 feet high.

To find out more about Çatalhöyük, check out the March/April 2002 issue of dig, which focuses completely on the site. You may also want to click on an excellent Web site -- The Mysteries of Çatalhöyük -- it is one of my most favorite sites on the Web.