In a ferment of activity during the 2013 excavation season the Boncuklu Visitor Centre was built and fitted out. Designed by local architect, building of the Centre and concrete part built by Rasim Usta of Kayseri Timber works has been realized by ASMAZ Timber Structures Company. Coordinating the interpretation project was Steve Chaddock, of Australian consultants Timeline Heritage, who worked with architect to create a building inspired by those of central Anatolia. The white render, use of wooden lintels and clay roof tiles are reminiscent of many buildings in the area and ASMAZ Timber Structures designed and erected with glulam timber roof structure and veranda, large windows to maximize the feeling of space and use of natural light. Artificial lighting is provided internally and externally with energy efficient LED and compact fluorescent bulbs. Keeping within the aims of the Boncuklu Project, the Visitor Centre provides a “site classroom” for anyone wanting to find out more about our project’s work at Boncuklu and is suited to smaller groups of visitors, being especially aimed at school children. Fitted out with information panels attached to the walls hours before the team departed in 2013 in both English and Turkish, the Centre provides information about the site for visitors of all ages. Over the winter and spring the Centre has weathered well and has been visited by a small but steady stream of visitors. The Centre will be formally opened during an open day in September. ABOUT SITE The site of Boncuklu represents the earliest village on the Anatolian plateau and is dated to c.8500 BC/BCE which is 10,500 years ago. Boncuklu is also extremely significant because we have discovered some of the world’s earliest houses whose walls have painted clay and plaster relief decoration, including plastered cattle skulls (bucrania). These are some of the earliest decorated houses, preceding those at nearby Çatalhöyük by 1000 years. We are able to document the appearance of elaborate symbolic behaviour typical of the first settled villages and the antecedents of Çatalhöyük The Boncuklu Project aims to excavate and study the archaeological remains of Boncuklu Höyük and interpret them for public and scholarly audiences. As well as producing scholarly articles and books, the Boncuklu Project is developing an on-site visitor Centre and freely available information in Turkish and English for the wider public, tourists and school children. The development of villages and farming underpin our modern life. The house or home is a common denominator of modern human existence. For thousands of years humans had survived using hunting and gathering techniques. They had lived off wild animals and naturally occurring plant foods such as roots & tubers, nuts, berries and seeds. Settled life, based on farming, or the management of domesticated animals and the selection of domestic cereal varieties, developed 10-12,000 years ago and then spread from the Fertile Crescent of southwest Asia through other regions of Asia and Europe. Boncuklu is located on the outskirts of Hayıroğlu Village in Konya Province, Central Turkey. It is approximately 30km southeast of the city of Konya and 9.5km north of the World Heritage Listed archaeological site of Çatalhöyük.

http://boncuklu.org/new-centre-provides-content-for-turkish-and-international-visitors/