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Amateur radio operators broadcasting from Karahantepe—part of the Tas Tepeler Neolithic network in southeastern Türkiye—connected with nearly 1,000 stations across 40 countries during a three-day initiative to promote the ancient site globally.
Tas Tepeler, or known as "Stone Mounds" in English, a network of prehistoric settlements centered around Sanliurfa in southeastern Türkiye, is developing into an internationally recognized archaeological destination as overseas exhibitions encourage visitors to look beyond Gobeklitepe and explore the wider region.
Members of the Turkish Radio Amateurs Association (TRAC) set up radio equipment and antennas at the Karahantepe Welcome Center in Sanliurfa after receiving the necessary permissions for the event.
Using the specially assigned call sign "TC8KHT," the team reached amateur radio operators, also known as ham radio operators, around the world and shared brief information about Karahantepe and its historical significance.
TRAC Deputy Chairman Hudaverdi Gunes said the initiative had been planned about a year earlier as part of efforts to raise awareness of Karahantepe internationally.
The team used modern radio technology to get in touch with stations in different parts of the world, eventually making contact with around 1,000 stations during the three-day operation.
Alongside regular amateur radio communication, operators gave their counterparts short introductions to Karahantepe and directed those seeking further details to relevant websites.
Gunes said some of the people contacted were already familiar with the site, adding that one operator at a German radio station said he had followed both the planned radio activity and Karahantepe's history through German television.
TRAC Sanliurfa Branch Chairman Ibrahim Halil Seysenbek said amateur radio operators from different parts of Türkiye had joined the project, which was carried out by an 11-member team.
The group set up an antenna about 20 meters (66 feet) high and used the "TC8KHT" call sign throughout the three-day event to reach stations abroad.
Seysenbek said the broadcasts were intended to highlight Karahantepe's historical importance, adding: "We are announcing to the whole world, or to all the stations we contact, that Karahantepe is the zero point of history."
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