The Göbekli Tepe, located in the Germuş mountains of southeastern Anatolia, Türkiye, could be at risk after a series of devastating earthquakes hit the country, according to a report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Tuesday.

Although the agency has not yet received any reports of it being damaged, UNESCO said the Göbekli Tepe could be in danger as it is relatively close to the epicenter of the quakes.

A file photo taken in 2022 shows pillars at the archaeological site of Göbekli Tepe in Türkiye. (Photo: CFP)

These magnificent megalithic structures, in round-oval and rectangular shapes, were erected by hunter-gatherers in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic age between 9,600 and 8,200 BCE, according to an introduction on the World Heritage List on UNESCO's website. The monuments were probably used in connection with rituals, most likely of a funerary nature.

A file photo taken in 2022 shows some animal images carved on pillars at the archaeological site of Göbekli Tepe in Türkiye. (Photo: CFP)

Images of wild animals were carved on pillars, indicating the way of life and beliefs of people living in Upper Mesopotamia about 11,500 years ago.

Several World Heritage sites have suffered damage of different levels of magnitude after the mega-earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria, including the Ancient city of Aleppo, and the Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape.

A file photo taken in 2022 shows archaeologists and workers at the Göbekli Tepe in Türkiye. (Photo: CFP)

The UN's cultural body said it has undertaken an initial survey of the damage done to local heritage sites and is mobilizing its experts to establish a precise inventory of this to help secure and stabilize them.